Men’s Lacrosse Duals No. 13 Denison in Second Round of NCAA Tournament
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – For the third time in NCAA Tournament history, the Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team will battle the 13th-ranked Big Red of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, as the second round matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14.
The Titans (15-3) downed Aurora University, 19-10, Wednesday, May 10, in the opening round of the tournament. Senior Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) and junior Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Cheyenne Mountain) paved the way for IWU with seven points each. Eastburn recorded all seven points on goals, while Carson Kiichle notched three goals and four assists. Senior Blake Muschewske (Excelsior, Minn.-Holy Family Catholic) disrupted the Spartan offense, finishing with three caused overs and scooped up six ground balls.
Carson Kiichle has led the offense for the Green and White all season, as he enters Saturday’s contest with 94 points on the season, fourth most recorded by a Titan in a season. His 56 helpers has surpassed the program’s single-season assist record, previously set by Michael Julius in 2017 with 51. Eastburn leads Illinois Wesleyan with 49 goals, while juniors Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) and Trystan Seeley (Castle Rock, Colo.-Castle View) have net 43 and 42, respectively.
Muschewske and junior Michael Campagna (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Saint Viator) have each caused 29 turnovers on the year. Sophomore Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) leads the Titans with 122 ground balls. Schroeder has dominated the X all season, having gone 228-for-346, including a 22-for-27 showing against AU.
In between the posts, sophomore Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn) leads IWU with 628 minutes logged. In that time, the sophomore has made 131 saves with a .526 save percentage, and a record of 11-2. Junior Alex Oximana (Seattle, Wash.-Bishop Blanchet) holds a .558 clip with 86 saves in 363:56 minutes.
Denison defeated Kenyon in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament for the third straight year to earn the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red have won the two previous meetings, with the most recent dating back to May 9, 2018.
Information regarding the match can be found under the men’s lacrosse schedule page on iwusports.com.
