BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team is set to face No. 13 SUNY Cortland in the NCAA Tournament Second Round Saturday, May 10, at 7 p.m. inside Kinsley Field in York, Pa. on the campus of York College of Pennsylvania.
    Illinois Wesleyan earned the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's automatic bid after defeating Elmhurst University in the CCIW Tournament Championship Saturday, May 3, winning a 16-13 battle inside Tucci Stadium. Cortland (17-2) earned an automatic bid to the tournament after taking down Oneonta 19-9 in the State University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament Saturday, May 3. It marks the first NCAA appearance for the Red Dragons since 2022.

FAMILIAR FOE: IWU and Cortland have met only once before just a season ago when both teams traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., for a spring break matchup, March 13, 2024. After trailing 5-2 at the half the Titans scored five goals in the third quarter as Cortland maintained an 8-7 lead. The Red Dragons got the best of the Titans in their first-ever meeting, 12-9. Gage Black led the effort for the Green and White with four goals while Timothy McHugh and Sam Weinberg also return as goal-scorers from that contest. 

KEEP IT ROLLING: After putting together a 4-0 record during the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season, the Titans secured their seventh straight perfect regular season in conference play, and the eighth 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 12th season leading the Green and White, and has been the only leader since the program began in 2014. In the 12 years, Iannucci and the Titans have compiled an overall record of 153-47, and a record of 50-4 in CCIW play since the program's inception. Iannucci has led his squad to eight CCIW regular season championships, seven CCIW Tournament championships, seven NCAA Tournament berths, and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in the 2021 season. 

AYE AYE CAPTAIN: The Green and White are led this season by a veteran captain squad in Gage Black, Bob Boone, Ike Eastburn, Sam Skelton, and Colin Tervo.

THE VOTES ARE IN: Illinois Wesleyan saw nine Titans land on the 2025 All-CCIW squad. Gage Black, Colin Tervo, Sam Skelton, Timothy McHugh, Billy McHugh, and Karsten Nordlie net first team honors while Sam Weinberg, Ike Eastburn, and Bob Boone were named to the second team. Head coach Zach Iannucci was named the CCIW Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, and becomes the only coach in the league to garner the award three times.

FIVE-STAR FIFTH-YEARS: IWU returned four Titans for their fifth-year seasons as Gage Black, Bob Boone, Ike Eastburn, and Zo Lombardo returned for one final season donning the Green and White. Together, the fifth-years have scored 111 of IWU's 245 goals, scoring over 45 percent of the team's goals this season. 

BACK IN BLACK: Gage Black made his return for one final year donning the Green and White as the fifth-year helped IWU to the postseason for the fourth time in his career. Black was named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention for the second straight year back in February and recently achieved his fourth All-CCIW selection (Second Team 2022, First Team 2023-2025). He ranks second on the team in goals with 35 while sitting third with 44 points scored. Black broke the career record in man-up goals last season, a mark that currently stands at 36. Black sits second in IWU's program history with 179 goals. Black is a two time USILA All-America Honorable Mention and a two-time First Team IMLCA All-Region 5 Midfielder. 


BIG BAD BOB BOONE: Bob Boone is hard to miss on the field, standing at six-foot six-inches, Boone is a dominant force for the Titans. A Second Team All-CCIW selection, the fifth-year captain has totaled 38 points on the season on 25 goals and 13 assists. Boone has notched three game-winners, including the final goal with 12 seconds left on the clock against Elmhurst, April 19, to clinch the CCIW regular season title.

NO MIKE, JUST IKE: Ike Eastburn leads the Titans with 51 goals scored and with his pair of assists, the fifth-year ranks second on the team with 53 points. Eastburn led the conference and ranks eighth in Division III this season with his .520 shot percentage, and his 3.19 goals per game sit 34th nationally. The fifth-year captain claimed his first All-CCIW honor this season as he was named to the second team. 

ALL-TIME TERVO: Senior goalie Colin Tervo had a career day in the CCIW Championships against Elmhurst, May 3. Tervo made a program record 23 saves in the game, the most since Will Harris tied the then-record of 22 against Southwestern, March 29, 2021. Tervo was credited with the win in goal, pushing his record to 13-2 on the season. With 196 saves on the year, he also broke the program's record for most stops in a single season, while his 486 career saves rank second in the program all-time. 

BROTHERLY LOVE: After spending two seasons at Division I Long Island University, Billy McHugh made the move back to Illinois this season to play alongside his younger brother, Timothy McHugh. Timothy, an attackman, and Billy, a defender, have made quite the impact for the Titans in their first season together. Timothy leads the team in both points and assists, while Billy's ruthless defense is apparent in his 20 caused turnovers this season, good for third-best on the team.

RIGHT ON MCHUGH: Timothy McHugh continues to impress in his sophomore campaign as the primary distributor for the Titans. McHugh leads the team with 74 points and 47 assists while also putting away 27 goals of his own. McHugh has been among the top-20 in assists per game for much of the season, and his current average of 2.94 ranks 15th nationally. McHugh landed All-CCIW honors for the first time as he was selected to the first team. 

NATIONAL WATCH: As a team, the Green and White ranks in the top-35 in five statistical categories in NCAA Division III. With its unrelenting defense, the Titans are 19th in ground balls per game with 40.88, and its 11.94 caused turnovers per game ranks 29th. The Titans rank 25th in scoring offense (15.31), 32nd in points per game (23.69), and sixth in winning percentage (.875).

WITH A WIN: The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the third round to face the winner of host York's game against Trinity (Conn.). The third round game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Sunday, May 11.