North Central College reported having the most outdoor track and field athletes in the state in 2016, followed by Aurora University and Concordia University-Chicago, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of the latest federal data.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education compiles athletics data annually from more than 2,000 schools receiving federal financial aid.
In Illinois, 17 schools have outdoor track and field teams with the number of athletes totaling 748, including 444 men and 304 women.
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Most popular colleges for outdoor track and field
| School | Division | Men's team | Women's team | Total athletes |
| North Central College | NCAA Division III with football | 89 | 55 | 144 |
| Aurora University | NCAA Division III with football | 67 | 45 | 112 |
| Concordia University-Chicago | NCAA Division III with football | 33 | 20 | 53 |
| Monmouth College | NCAA Division III with football | 28 | 24 | 52 |
| Elmhurst College | NCAA Division III with football | 30 | 18 | 48 |
| Robert Morris University Illinois | NAIA Division II | 27 | 20 | 47 |
| Trinity Christian College | NAIA Division II | 16 | 25 | 41 |
| Millikin University | NCAA Division III with football | 23 | 15 | 38 |
| William Rainey Harper College | NJCAA Division III | 24 | 14 | 38 |
| Knox College | NCAA Division III with football | 17 | 17 | 34 |
| University of Illinois at Springfield | NCAA Division II without football | 18 | 14 | 32 |
| Judson University | NAIA Division I | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | NCAA Division III without football | 18 | 5 | 23 |
| Triton College | Other | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| College of DuPage | NJCAA Division III | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| Eureka College | NCAA Division III with football | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Oakton Community College | NJCAA Division II | 7 | 1 | 8 |
