BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team heads to Schenectady, N.Y. for a second round game in the NCAA Tournament. IWU is set to face off with No. 6 Tufts University Saturday, May 11 at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium. Union College (NY) is the regional pod host for the weekend and will play Stevenson University in Saturday's second game.

Four Score and Seven Years Ago
After putting together a 5-0 record during the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season, the Titans secured their sixth straight perfect regular season in conference play, and the seventh CCIW Regular Season Championship. Illinois Wesleyan has not lost a regular season CCIW match since April 8, 2017. 

Lone Leader
Head Coach Zach Iannucci is in his 11th season leading the Green and White, and has been the only leader since the program began in 2014. In the 11 years, Iannucci and the Titans have compiled an overall record of 139-44, and a record of 46-4 in CCIW play since the program's institution in 2015. Iannucci has led his squad to seven CCIW regular season championships, six CCIW Tournament championships, six NCAA Tournament berths, and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in the 2021 season. 

Raking in Conference Awards
Illinois Wesleyan saw eight Titans land on the 2024 All-CCIW squad. Gage Black, Trystan Seeley, Colin Tervo, Sam Skelton, and Michael Campagna net first team honors while Noah Dretzka, Sam Weinberg, and Ethan Hart were named to the second team. Campagna, who was named the 2024 CCIW Defensive Player of the Year, anchors a Titan defense that has held its opponents to 180 goals this season while IWU's offense has put away 284. Campagna leads the team with 31 caused turnovers and 50 ground balls. 

Back in Black
Not only is IWU making its return to the NCAA tournament in its new black uniforms, the Titans also have an asset in having senior Gage Black in the postseason for the third time in his career. Black, who was named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American, leads the nation in individual man-up goals with 14, while leading the team with 70 points off a team-lead 50 points and 20 assists. Teammate Sam Weinberg ranks 13th nationally with 10 man-up goals. 

Right on McHugh
Freshman Timothy McHugh quickly found his niche as the primary distributor for the Titans with his ability to see the field and anticipate the gaps. McHugh's 35 assists leads the team while his 2.33 assists per game ranks 29th in Division III this season. 

National Watch
As a team, the Green and White ranks in the top 25 in 10 statistical categories. With its unrelenting defense, the Titans are sixth in ground balls per game with 43.59 and its 741 ground balls ranks 20th. The Titans rank 12th in scoring offense (16.71), 13th in points per game (26.53), 22nd in points (451), 17th in assists per game (9.82), and 18th in man-up offense (0.447).

Familiar Foe
Going up against a familiar foe in the NCAA first round, IWU took down Aurora University in a gritty 14-10 victory Wednesday, May 8. It marks the second straight season the Titans have slayed the Spartans in the opening round of the tournament. Weinberg led the way with six points off of four goals and two assists. On the defensive front, senior Hart strung together a dominating performance of 10 ground balls and three caused turnovers. Kade Miers shared the team-high three caused turnovers with Hart while senior Alex Oximana posted 30 minutes in the net and totaled five saves before Tervo relieved him in the second half and tallied three stops.

Nice to Meet You
Saturday's contest will be the first-ever meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Tufts as IWU carries a 14-3 overall record into the second round, while Tufts is 13-3. The Jumbos have battled a strong schedule on the East Coast, owning an 8-2 record against ranked opponents this season. Despite dropping its New England Small College Athletic Conference quarterfinal game, 14-13, in overtime to Hamilton College, Tufts was granted the first round bye. The Jumbos will play its first game since April 27 on Saturday as they go head-to-head with the Titans. IWU's defense will face the challenge that is Tufts' No. 4 ranked scoring offense while its points per game rank just ahead of the Titans in 12th (26.88).

What's Ahead?
Rounding out the pod in the second round will be host school No. 17 Union and Stevenson University at 3 p.m. ET. The winners of Saturday's two second round games will face off in the third round Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m. ET. The full NCAA bracket can be found here. 

Make sure to follow along with everything IWU men's lacrosse on Twitter (@iwu_mlax) and Instagram (iwu.mlax).