BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team used a record-setting defensive performance to rout North Park University 32-6 on Senior Day, Saturday, Nov. 16, at Tucci Stadium. The Titans set the school record for sacks in a game, while junior defensive tackle Mike Murphy (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) tied the individual game mark.

Illinois Wesleyan finishes the season with a 6-4 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. North Park wraps up the season 1-9 on the year and 1-8 in league play.

The Titan defense suffocated the Vikings all day long. IWU saw nine players combine to register a school record 15 sacks, the most in nearly 20 years. Murphy led the way with 4.5, tying a mark set by Jeff Heinzl in the 2000 season, while seniors Francis Urbanski (North Riverside, Ill.-Riverside-Brookfield HS) and Dave Lux (New Lenox, Ill.-Lincoln-Way North HS) tallied 2.5 and 2.0, respectively. Also getting in on the action for Illinois Wesleyan was senior Chance Hilliard (Marion, Ill.-Marion HS), Thomas Mulhall (Homer Glen, Ill.-Lockport Township HS), Jake Kapp (Wheaton, Ill.-Montini Catholic HS), Ryan Swift (Brookfield, Ill.-Riverside-Brookfield HS), Victor Arizmendi (Chicago, Ill.-Lane Tech HS), and Emmett Zima (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South HS).

As a unit, the IWU defense held NPU to -107 rushing yards and just 122 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Titans posted 391 yards of offense with 277 coming through the air. IWU also added 114 on the ground.

Kapp notched a team-high eight tackles. Murphy and Lux added seven stops apiece, with each recording five tackles for loss. In the secondary, senior Nico Gubenko (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton North HS) picked off his fourth pass of the year and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.

Offensively, senior Johnny Dicanio (Elmhurst, Ill.-York) orchestrated the IWU offense. Dicanio connected on 18-of-29 attempts for 235 yards. 

IWU's three offensive scores came in the ground game with Dicanio finding the endzone twice and sophomore Hamid Bullie (Chicago, Ill.-Loyola Academy) recording the other TD scamper. 

Saturday's season finale marked the final games in the careers of Illinois Wesleyan's 23-man senior class. Prior to kickoff, the Titans honored Trevor Koepke, Nico Gubenko, Bryce Dooley, Dave Lux, Brandon Bauer, Johnny Dicanio, Patrick Tata, Dean Zigulich, Jake Kapp, Robert Hanrahan, Ryan Paslay, Jack Healy, Gio Garcia, Victor Arizmendi, Ryan Swift, Francis Urbanski, Samuel Soto, Ethan Emerson, Zach Walsh, Chrystian Maciorowski, Chance Hilliard, Wulfgang Rankenburg, and Juan Bahena.

Together, the class combined for 30 wins, two CCIW Championships, and countless IWU game, season, and career records.