Mia Fiandaca CCIW Defensive Player of the Week March 4, 2025

Fiandaca Tabbed as CCIW Defensive Player of the Week

Senior earns fifth weekly award of her career

3/4/2025 12:25:00 PM

CCIW Release

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Senior Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) of the Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week, announced by the league office Tuesday, March 4.

It is the first weekly award of the season for Fiandaca, and the fifth in her career. She becomes the first Titan to win the award under the direction of head coach Abby Kushina.

Fiandaca led the Titan defense to a 3-0 week, including IWU's first shutout win since 2019. The week consisted of her breaking the single-game caused turnover record twice, doing so in back-to-back games. For the week, Fiandaca recorded 23 caused turnovers, a whopping average of 7.67 per game, along with 24 ground balls, averaging eight per game, and 20 draw controls, an average of 6.67 per game. Fiandaca also added 10 goals for 10 points, an average of 3.33 per game.

Opening the week with a 23-0 victory over Illinois Institute of Technology, Fiandaca broke the program's single-game record for caused turnovers, finishing with eight, to go along with a program-record 10 ground balls, 12 draw controls, and four goals for four points. Fiandaca followed with another stellar performance as she bested her program-record mark, causing 12 turnovers, as well as nine ground balls, six draw controls, and four points in the 11-5 win against Edgewood College Saturday, March 1. Fiandaca finished the week with three caused turnovers, five ground balls, two draw controls, and two goals in the 11-8 victory over Lake Forest College Sunday, March 2.

Fiandaca ranks second in Division III with an average of 6.75 caused turnovers per game, while her 12 caused turnovers are the most in a game across all NCAA divisions, and her eight in the game prior are tied for second. The senior's 10 ground balls are tied for third-most in a game nationally.

The Titans return to action Wednesday, March 5, hosting University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for a 3:30 p.m. contest inside Tucci Stadium. The game will kick off a doubleheader with the men's team, which faces Wabash College at 6:30 p.m.

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