Men’s Lacrosse Eyes 2023 Opening Weekend
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The 2023 season kicks off with a pair of home games at Tucci Stadium this weekend, Feb. 17-19, for the Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team. The Titans will begin the season with a 7 p.m. bout against Birmingham-Southern College under the lights at Tucci Friday, Feb. 17. The Green and White will then host Rhodes College Sunday, Feb. 19, for a noon start.
The Titans, who begin the year with four of five games at home, are led by head coach Zach Iannucci. Entering his 10th year at the helm, Iannucci has guided the program to a 111-37 (.750 winning percentage) record since its inception in 2014.
Seniors Blake Muschewske (Excelsior, Minn.-Holy Family Catholic), Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview), and Connor Kicchle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview), as well as junior Michael Campagna (Arlington Heights, Ill.-St. Viator) will serve as team captains for the Titans in 2023.
IWU returns several key contributors from the 2022 squad that won the team’s fourth straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season title. In between the posts, junior Alex Oximana (Seattle, Wash.-Bishop Blanchet) is back after emerging as a First Team All-CCIW pick a year ago. Carson Kiichle, a First Team All-CCIW selection, along with Second Team All-CCIW honorees Campagna, Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap), Trystan Seeley (Castle Rock, Colo.-Castle View), and Connor Kicchle are set to build off of the 2022 season alongside 15 newcomers.
Friday’s match will mark the first between IWU and BSC, while the Titans will take on Rhodes for the sixth time since the initial meeting in 2019. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series with the Lynx, and has come away victorious in the past two meetings. Most recently, the Green and White left Memphis, Tenn. with an 11-6 triumph Feb. 13, 2022.
Both games will be available via live stream here and live stats here. Make sure to follow along with everything IWU men’s lacrosse on Twitter (@iwu_mlax) and Instagram (iwu.mlax).
