A crowded Shirk Center witnessed a heart-warming PinkZone weekend, Saturday, Jan. 31, highlighted by two Illinois Wesleyan University basketball victories, and welcoming familiar faces back to campus. 

Along with initiatives to raise awareness and honor those who have fought cancer, the weekend also provided an opportunity for men’s and women’s basketball alumni to return to campus. Titan women’s basketball alumni were recognized one-by-one at halftime of the women’s basketball contest, pictured below, before two alumni faced off in a halftime shooting contest. 

In addition, men’s basketball alumni from differing graduating classes scrimmaged current men’s basketball players prior to tipoff of women’s hoops versus North Central College and were also invited to stand and be recognized for their outstanding careers and continued support of the program. 

Pink Zone - Supporting the Fight

In the 19th iteration of the event, IWU honored those who have or are currently battling cancer. PinkZone weekend is head women’s basketball coach Mia Smith’s favorite weekend of the season, and, as a breast cancer survivor herself, one that hits close to home. 

Following the women’s basketball victory, Coach Smith invited those in attendance who have or are currently battling the disease to stand and be honored. Repping bright pink jerseys, members of the Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team presented each standing family member or friend in the crowd with a flower.

PinkZone provides the Illinois Wesleyan community an opportunity to raise funds to benefit local cancer initiatives. T-shirts and other apparel were sold throughout the day, with proceeds being dedicated, for the second consecutive year, to Mary Kate Kroesch. Mary Kate is a local high school student battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee was hard at work again this weekend, selling pieces of paper for a paper airplane contest at halftime of the men’s basketball game. Division III and Special Olympics have a special relationship, and the majority of charity events conducted by Illinois Wesleyan SAAC benefit the organization. 

Members of the IWU spirit squad teams put on a clinic for local elementary and middle school students. Students were able to spend much of the day with IWU spirit squad members and learn a routine that was later performed at halftime, which, once again, brought the Shirk Center crowd to its feet and warmed the hearts of all in attendance. 

Recognizing a Couple Greats

The bustling day also brought the recognition of exceptional IWU staff and student-athletes. Everyone in the Shirk Center was brought to their feet prior to tipoff of the men’s basketball game, as students, alumni, staff, and fans were able to recognize and celebrate a constant, welcoming presence in the Illinois Wesleyan athletic office, Mindy McCluskey, on her retirement after over 19 years of service. 

It is greatly due to Mindy’s hard work behind the scenes that Illinois Wesleyan’s PinkZone games have been a large success impacting the Bloomington-Normal community in such a positive way. Mindy’s smiling face and genuine kindness has touched everyone she has encountered in her career, and the Titan community is forever grateful for her. 

The Titan men’s golf team, with all members of the 2025 team present, raised their third banner in the past six seasons following their runner-up team finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships a season ago. Head coach Jim Ott shared a few kind words about each player before the team pulled the rope to reveal the program’s fourth banner inside the Shirk Center. Griffin Pohl, who finished in the top-10 at the national tournament in consecutive seasons, showed off the runner-up trophy to the crowd at halftime of the men’s basketball game.

A Pair of Wins

The vehicle for a rewarding day inside the Shirk Center was the 19th-ranked women’s basketball team and the No. 12 men’s basketball team both battling against College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe North Central. 

The IWU women’s basketball team completed a comeback victory over NCC, overcoming a 15-point deficit, to earn its tenth CCIW win by a score of 80-71 and boosting its record to 15-5 overall, and 10-1 in league play. The Titan men’s basketball team followed with an emphatic victory over the Cardinals, 93-64, avenging a loss from earlier this season to go to 8-3 in the CCIW and 16-4 overall.

Links to photo galleries covering PinkZone games: