Men’s Lacrosse Hosts Carthage for Senior Day

Titans to recognize 10 seniors prior to 1 p.m. game

4/16/2026 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team hosts College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Carthage College for a Senior Day special Saturday, April 18. The Titans (9-2, 2-0 CCIW) take on the Firebirds (7-7, 2-0 CCIW) at 1 p.m. as part of the first leg of a doubleheader with the women's lacrosse team set to play at 3:30 p.m.

IWU will recognize its 10 seniors, Michael Rocco (Libertyville, Ill.-Libertyville), Cole Kennedy (Walnut Creek, Calif.-De La Salle), Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine), Kaden Gammelgaard (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich), Mitchell Breza (Victoria, Minn.-Chanhassen), Sam Scott (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington), Karsten Nordlie (Roscoe, Ill.-Hononegah Community), Andres Morales-Gomez (Round Lake Beach, Ill.-Grayslake North), Billy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel), and Kade Miers (Cincinnati, Ohio-St. Xavier). Together, the group has won three CCIW Regular Season and Tournament Championships, made three NCAA Tournaments, and holds a record of 52-15 overall, and 17-0 in CCIW contests.

The Green and White enter the match off a 25-5 win at Carroll University Saturday, April 11. Juniors Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) and Nate Pound (Theinsville, Wis.-Homestead) led the offense with eight points apiece. Pound earned CCIW Offensive Player of the Week honors, as his eight points, four goals, and four assists all established new career-highs. Timothy McHugh tallied a team-leading six assists. Freshman Ben Marban (Bartlett, Ill.-South Elgin) tied for the team-lead with four goals. Rocco totaled team-bests of four ground balls and a 7-of-11 showing at the X, while Billy McHugh caused three turnovers to lead the Titans. Sophomore Jaymeson Zackery (Saint Paul, Minn.-Eastview), who scored his first career goal in the game, notched the win behind a save in the first 15 minutes of action. Sophomore A.J. Ellis (Lake Bluff, Ill.-Suffield Academy) tallied a team-high six saves to establish a new personal-best mark.

Timothy McHugh leads the offense with 50 points on the season, composed of 24 goals and 26 assists, both of which also lead the Titans. Pound is second on the squad with 25 points, closely followed by 24 points from junior Jake Kahoun (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington). Kahoun ranks second on the squad in goals with 21, while freshman Holden Webster (Centennial, Colo.-Arapahoe) closely trails with 20. Sophomore Charlie Burghardt (Milwaukee, Wis.-Brookfield Central) follows Timothy McHugh in the assists column with 16 helpers, and Pound rounds out the top-three with nine.

Zackery sits atop the team with 53 ground balls, followed by 49 from Nordlie, and Rocco with 44. Rocco leads the team at the X with 105 faceoff wins on 186 attempts, good for a .565 win percentage. Sophomore Matt Arnold (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) has added a 70-of-129 showing, entering the weekend with a .543 win percentage.

The Titan defense ranks second nationally in caused turnovers per game, averaging 15.38. Billy McHugh leads the way with 29 forced miscues, while Nordlie sits second with 19. Zackery and Gammelgaard are tied for third on the team with 18 caused turnovers apiece.

Having logged 693:13 seconds in goal for the Green and White, Zackery leads the team between the iron with 135 saves. He brings in a record of 9-4 and a .538 save percentage into the clash with Carthage.

IWU will meet the Firebirds on the field for the 17th time, with the Titans holding an 11-5 edge in the series, and have won the last 11 matchups. Illinois Wesleyan took the most recent meeting, 11-9, April 12, 2025, aided by five points each from Timothy McHugh and Sam Weinberg. Weinberg and now-assistant coach Ike Eastburn totaled four goals apiece, while Timothy McHugh tallied all of his points via assists. Nick Schroeder scooped up a team-best six ground balls after an 11-of-22 showing at the X. Nordlie led the defense with a pair of caused turnovers, and Colin Tervo got the win in goal behind 13 saves. Carthage is fresh off a win over North Central College, 10-9, Saturday, April 11.

The game will be live streamed, which can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.

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