Men's Lacrosse celebrating a goal against Carthage April 18, 2026

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Men’s Lacrosse Travels to Carthage for CCIW Tournament Semifinal

Titans take on Firebirds at 7:30 p.m.

4/28/2026 3:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After earning the No. 3 seed in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team will travel to No. 2 seed Carthage College Wednesday night, April 29. Action is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Art Keller Field.

Illinois Wesleyan (10-6, 3-2 CCIW) enters the postseason off a loss at Elmhurst University, falling 16-12 Saturday, April 25. Senior Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine) led the offense with six points on four goals and two assists. Junior Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) tallied a team-high three assists. Senior Michael Rocco (Libertyville, Ill.-Libertyville) and sophomore Jaymeson Zackery (Saint Paul, Minn.-Eastview) tied for the team-lead in ground balls with four apiece, while Rocco won a team-best six faceoffs. Sophomore Rylee Blair (Marshall, Wis.-Sun Prairie West) totaled a team-best two caused turnovers.

Five Titans were named to the All-CCIW teams ahead of the tournament. Dretzka, Timothy McHugh, and seniors Billy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) and Karsten Nordlie (Roscoe, Ill.-Hononegah Community) were all First Team All-CCIW honorees, while Rocco earned second team status.

With 33 goals, 33 assists, and 66 points, Timothy McHugh tops the team in all three categories. Junior Jake Kahoun (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) is second with 30 points and 25 goals. Sophomore Owen Miller (Brookfield, Wis.-Brookfield Central) rounds out the top-three in points, closely trailing Kahoun with 29, while his nine assists also sit third on the team. Freshman Holden Webster's (Centennial, Colo.-Arapahoe) 22 goals is good for third. Sophomore Charlie Burghardt (Milwaukee, Wis.-Brookfield Central) follows Timothy McHugh in assists with 12 helpers on the season.

Rocco leads the Titans in ground balls with 61. Zackery closely follows with 57, while Nordlie rounds out the top-three with 56. Together, the trio help IWU rank 25th-nationally in ground balls (664) and 22nd in ground balls per game 41.50), both of which lead the conference. Rocco also holds the team-lead in faceoffs won with 130. Having gone 130-of-228, he enters Wednesday with a .570 win percentage. Sophomore Matt Arnold (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) is second with 84 wins on 157 faceoffs, good for a .535 win percentage.

Illinois Wesleyan also ranks within the top-25 in Division III in caused turnovers per game, as its average of 14.63 is the fourth-best in the country and the most in the CCIW. Billy McHugh leads the way with 36 caused turnovers, followed by Nordlie's 21, and 20 from senior Kaden Gammelgaard (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich).

In goal for the Green and White, Zackery has made a team-high 148 saves this season. He brings in a record of 10-6 and a .521 save percentage across 783:13 minutes in goal. Senior Sam Scott (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) follows with 131:47 minutes between the pipes, making 29 saves for a .674 save percentage.

The Titans will face the Firebirds (9-8, 4-1 CCIW) for the 18th time, with IWU holding an 11-6 edge in the series. Carthage spoiled senior day for Illinois Wesleyan earlier this season with a 12-9 win Saturday, April 18. Timothy McHugh tallied team-highs with three goals and four points, while Dretzka notched a team-best two assists. Billy McHugh led the defense with a career-high six caused turnovers, while Rocco topped the team in ground balls (7) and faceoffs won (11). Scott stopped a career-best 16 shots over 45 minutes in goal. Carthage most recently defeated Carroll University, 11-6, Saturday, April 25.

A live stream of the game can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.

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