BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team will open its 2025 season at Aurora University Saturday, Feb. 22. The game is set to begin at 11 a.m. at Spartan Athletic Complex, and will mark the start of IWU's guidance under head coach Abby Kushina. 

Kushina looks to build off the Titans' 9-8 season in 2024, marking the first winning season since 2021 for the Green and White. Illinois Wesleyan returns its 2024 First Team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin junior Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis). The defender earned the accolade after a breakthrough season. Also returning for the Titans is senior Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North), a 2023 First Team All-CCIW at midfield. Riepe, Fiandaca, and senior Mallory Mills (Schaumburg, Ill.-James B. Conant) will serve as the team captains for the 2025 campaign. 

Saturday will see the debut of eight freshmen, as Brooke Ayres (Sun Prairie, Wis.-Sun Prairie Easy), Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit), Carly Bajusz (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville North), Makenna McVey (Dunlap, Ill.-Dunlap), Sophie Shore (St. Peters, Mo.-Francis Howell Central), Lillie Keeton (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington), Cassie Fischmann (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community), and Marli Brown (Kansas City, Mo.-Notre Dame de Sion) will don the Green and White for the first time. 

Fiandaca returns as the Titans' top goal-scorer a season ago, as she led the team with 48 goals. With 117 goals and 128 points in her career, Fiandaca ranks fifth and 10th in program history entering her final season, respectively. Junior Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) finished third on the team in goals last year, registering 42, and looks to build off of her sophomore campaign. Fiandaca finished second on the team in points last season with 51, followed by Fountain with 47. Setzler returns as the top passer for IWU, having recorded 15 assists last season. 

At the draw, junior Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) looks to make a splash after a strong sophomore campaign. Newton is the top draw controls returner for the Green and White, as she finished second on the squad last season with 49. Fiandaca followed closely with 45, while Setzler was fourth with 34 draw controls. 

Defensively, Fiandaca and Riepe are the top two to watch out for, as the duo wreaked havoc on opposing offenses last season. Fiandaca finished second on the team in caused turnovers with 41, and ranks fourth all-time with 74 in her career. Her 41 caused turnovers last season are the third-most in a single season for the Titans. Riepe finished third with 36, and is the team's top returner in ground balls, as she scooped up 44 a season ago. 

In goal, senior Lizzie Rymarcsuk (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Saint Viator) returns after posting a 4-1 record last season. Rymarcsuk recorded 38 saves on a .487 save percentage in limited action, as she accumulated 300 minutes in goal after coming back from injury. The Lake Zurich, Ill. native ranks fourth all-time in career saves, with 228 to her name. 

Illinois Wesleyan and Aurora will meet for the ninth time, with the series beginning in 2016. IWU took the first five matchups, but AU has been the winner of the last three, including escaping Tucci Stadium with a 17-15 victory Feb. 28, 2024. Fiandaca stuffed her stat line in the match, as she finished with six goals, 14 draw controls, seven caused turnovers, and five ground balls in the contest. Her seven caused turnovers broke the single-game record for the Green and White. Then-junior Bri Kiser (Crown Point, Ind.-Crown Point) stepped up to help the Titans in goal, finishing with seven saves to keep IWU in the match for the entire duration. The Spartans will also make their season debut on Saturday. Aurora finished the 2024 campaign with a record of 12-7, and made the NCAA tournament after winning the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. 

AU will be providing a live stream, which can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here. The women's team kicks off a rare doubleheader with the IWU men's lacrosse team, which looks to improve on its 2-0 start to the season after the completion of the women's game Saturday.