SALISBURY, Md. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team will travel to the east coast for the second weekend of the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament Saturday, May 22-23.  The Titans will face Salisbury University in the quarterfinals round Saturday, May 22, at 1 p.m. ET.
    Salisbury will play host to four teams Saturday-Sunday, May 22-23. IWU (15-1) will play No. 2 Salisbury University (15-1) Saturday, May 22 with the winner advancing to the semifinals on Sunday, May 23, to play the winner of No. 4 Lynchburg and No. 9 Christopher Newport. The Gulls clinched their spot in the quarterfinals after wins against SUNY Poly and Cabrini 30-3 and 16-5, respectively. The Titans beat out Hope in the second round 18-14, to move to advance to the Elite Eight.
Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and can be viewed via live stream. Live stats for the game will also be available. Links to follow along can be found on the men's lacrosse schedule page of IWUsports.com.

ELITE EIGHT: The Titans will make the first Elite Eight appearance in program history Saturday, May 22. IWU had previously advanced as far as the second round.

WINNING STREAK: IWU tied its longest winning streak of 12 games with the win against Hope, May 15. The Titans' only loss on the year was against Southwestern inside Tucci Stadium where the Green and White fell, 11-10. A 12-11 win on the road against Aurora on March 24, kick started the Titans now 12-game winning streak. 
The last time IWU won 12 in-a-row was during the 2019 season. After a loss at Salisbury, the Titans bounced back for a  22-15 win against DePauw March 20, 2019 and won the next 11 before falling to Rhodes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

PROGRAM WIN NO. 100: Illinois Wesleyan recorded its 100th win with its Sweet Sixteen victory over Hope Saturday, May 15. All 100 wins have come with Zach Iannucci at the helm, as he has built the program up since being hired in 2012. IWU began competition in 2014 and has won four CCIW Tournament titles and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. Iannucci was named CCIW Coach of the Year twice (2016 and 2019), and has seen 12 Titans earn all-region honors, 48 garner spots on the All-CCIW squads, and five be named CCIW Players of the Year.

IWU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Overall, IWU is 3-3 in the tournament. The Titans advanced to the second round in 2017 with a 19-15 win over Aurora May 10, before being halted by Denison. The Big Red also edged the Titans in the opening round of 2018, while Illinois Wesleyan dropped a first round match to Rhodes in 2019.
The Titans came out victorious in the first and second rounds of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Green and White beat Northwestern in the first round, 30-8, and secured its spot in the quarterfinals after a 18-14 victory over Hope in the second round. 

SECOND CHANCES: The Titans and Sea Gulls have seen each other once before, in a non-conference matchup during the 2019 season. The Titans traveled to Salisbury during their spring break trip, where the Green and White stopped in Virginia before meeting the Sea Gulls in Maryland on March 15, 2019. IWU came up short, as SU won 22-6 and handed the Green and White its first and only loss of the regular season.

30 CLUB: The Titans and Sea Gulls each recorded 30 goals during the first round of the NCAA Tournament. IWU stacked on 30 goals in a 22-goal win over Northwestern Friday, May 14, and Salisbury defeated SUNY Poly 30-3 in its first round game. The 30-goal accomplishment set an NCAA record for most goals in a first or second round game all-time.

STELLAR STAT RANKINGS: The Titans have been one of the most potent offenses in the country this season. In fact, IWU is ranked third in the NCAA Division III in goals per game with 21.00, sit third in both ground balls (834) and ground balls per game with 52.12, second in assists with 190, third in points per game 32.88, and fifth in winning percentage 0.938.

BEST IN THE CCIW: Junior Rick Smith and senior Max Bousky were named the CCIW Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, as the Titans swept the awards for the second time in conference history. 
    Smith, who also earned first team honors for the second time in his career, is the third Titan to be voted the league's Offensive Player of the Year. The Frankfort, Ill. product has 73 points on the year with 48 goals and 25 assists. 
    Bousky is just the second Titan to be named the CCIW's Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, the Peoria, Ill. native earned first team honors for the second time in his IWU career. A powerhouse at the X, Bousky's .760 win percentage is ranked fifth-best nationally and his ground balls per game of 12.14 sits seventh in the country. Bousky also is fourth among the active leaders board in faceoffs won with 721. 

USILA DYNAMIC TEAM OF THE WEEK: Rick Smith, Daniel Dickerson, and Max Bousky have  been named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division III Dynamic Team of the Week throughout the season. Smith picked up this accolade on March 9, as Dickerson and Bousky earned the award March 16 and 30, respectively. The trio are the first in program history to garner spots on the national team of the week.

ALL-CCIW PICKS: Illinois Wesleyan saw a total of eight players selected to the All-CCIW teams. In addition to Rick Smith and Max Bousky, Will Harris, Carson Kiichle, and Connor Kiichle also earned First Team honors. Jory Vance, Daniel Dickerson, and Paul Mucci reeled in Second Team All-CCIW status.