BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team is set to open the 2025 season with a trip to Nashville, Tenn. for a two-game stint at the Music City Classic Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 15-16. The Titans faceoff with Transylvania University on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. before taking on Centre College on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Head Coach Zach Iannucci enters his 12th season at the helm for the Titans while adding two new faces to the coaching staff in Kevin MacBride and Ben Arends. Since its inaugural season in 2014, the Green and White boast a 139-45 record, good for a .755 winning percentage. 

Most recently, the Green and White swept the 2024 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season and Tournament titles and made their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance. 

Illinois Wesleyan returns five of its eight All-CCIW selections from a season ago, including fifth-year Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap), seniors Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn), Sam Skelton (Portland, Ore.-Franklin), Sam Weinberg (Highwood, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) and junior Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine). Additionally, IWU welcomes 19 newcomers to the team.

Black, who returns as IWU's top scorer from the 2024 season with 71 points and 51 goals, was recently named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention for the second-straight season after being named a USILA All-American Honorable Mention last season. 

Sophomore Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) served as the Titans' key distributor with 37 assists in 2024, good for the second-most points on the team with 54. Dretzka was just behind with 30 helpers and 51 points on the season. Skelton returns as one of IWU's top defenders having caused 30 turnovers while totaling 39 ground balls. Tervo, the Titans' veteran goalkeeper, led the team with 187 saves last season with a .528 save percentage. Fifth-year Zo Lombardo (Elgin, Ill.-Saint Viator) controlled the center circle in 2024 with 180 faceoffs won and a .547 faceoff win percentage. 

The Titans will face former CCIW associate member, Transylvania Saturday, Feb. 15 for the sixth time since the 2014 season. IWU holds a slim 3-2 advantage in the series history, claiming victories in the last two meetings in 2023 with a 19-9 win in the regular season meeting and a 14-11 victory in the CCIW Tournament Championship.

Sunday's game with Centre will be only the second meeting between the two teams. The Green and White doubled up the Colonels for a 16-8 win back on March 14, 2016. 

Both games will be played at Ensworth Lacrosse Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. with live stream and live stats links available on the men's lacrosse schedule page of iwusports.com.