CCIW Preseason Favorite IWU Takes Perfect Record on the Road

Titans to face rival Rhodes College

3/12/2021 12:02:00 PM

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team was picked to finish first in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin preseason poll, announced by the league Friday, March 12. IWU hits the road for the first time this season, travelling to Rhodes College for a Sunday, March 14, 12 p.m. game.

The Titans and Lynx are on the cusp of breaking into the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Top-20, as both teams received votes this past week. IWU is currently 2-0 on the season, while Rhodes sits at 0-1 following a loss to Transylvania.

Illinois Wesleyan opened the season with large margin victories of 32-7 and 24-7 against DePauw and MSOE, respectively. The Titans strong start saw Rick Smith (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Offensive Player of The Week, March 9. Smith, who registered nine goals and two assists in a win over MSOE, also earned USILA Division III Team of the Week honors. It was the first USILA award in program history.

Rhodes and IWU have seen each other a total of three times since 2019, with the Lynx leading the series, 2-1. IWU won the inaugural meeting 12-7 during the 2019 season, but Rhodes ended the Titan's win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lynx topped the Titans in an early season meeting in 2020, edging IWU 15-11 at Tucci Stadium.

The event will be live streamed here.

Inside the CCIW Poll
The Titans, who earned six first-place votes, recorded 36 points. Carthage received 28 points to rank second and North Central received 27 points and one first-place vote to round out the top three.

Elmhurst (22), Augustana (17), Dubuque (11), and Carroll (6) ranked fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively.

Voting for the CCIW Preseason Men's Lacrosse Poll is done by the head lacrosse coaches. Each coach votes for the six other programs in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (six points for first, five for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams.

Make sure to follow along with IWU Athletics on Twitter and Instagram at @iwusports.

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