Illinois Wesleyan University is positioned as the top seed in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which will commence on Wednesday with two semifinal matches. The Titans, who are aiming for a third consecutive championship, will compete against North Central College at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
In the other semifinal, Elmhurst College will host Carthage College at Langhorst Field, also at 7:30 p.m. The winners of these games will meet in the championship match on Saturday, with the highest remaining seed serving as the host. Admission fees for the games are set at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children aged six and older. CCIW students can enter for free by presenting a valid student ID.
Illinois Wesleyan completed an undefeated regular season in the conference with a 26-7 victory over Carroll, marking their seventh consecutive year with a perfect conference record. “IWU now owns an 8-0 record in the series with NCC since 2018,” including a closely contested 18-17 overtime win in the 2022 final.
North Central, which won its last postseason game against Transylvania in the 2022 final, will attempt to advance after losing a semifinal to Elmhurst last year. The team’s last road game was on April 12.
Elmhurst, ranked as the top team in the CCIW by the Division III NPI, is advancing to the CCIW Championship semifinal for the eighth time. “The Bluejays won the regular-season meeting with Carthage, 15-12 on April 5 at Langhorst Field.”
Carthage, participating in its 10th CCIW Championship since its inception in 2015, seeks its first tournament win since 2018 and first title since 2016.
Both teams bring competitive records into the postseason, with Elmhurst outscoring its conference opponents 55-35 in the regular season, while Carthage tallied a road record of 4-2.
Illinois Wesleyan and Elmhurst both hold strong records that they hope to extend during the tournament, while North Central and Carthage aim to upset the expectations to capture the championship title.
