Black & Kiichle Earn USILA All-America Honorable Mention Honors
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USILA Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a dominant 2023 season, senior Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) and junior Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) of the Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team were named United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Blatant Division III All-America Honorable Mention at their primary positions.
It marks the third straight year that at least one Titan has garnered All-American status. Black and Kiichle join elite company, as Max Bousky (2021) and Rick Smith (2021, 2022) have each been named to the honorable mention team.
A key component of the Titan offense, Kiichle finished his exceptional collegiate career with a team-high 94 points on the season. The senior shattered the single-season assist record, as he dished out 56 helpers in 19 games. A First Team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection, Kiichle was also named the CCIW Player of the Week, March 7, and earned a spot on the USILA Dynamic Team of the Week, March 8. His 2.95 assists per game average is the ninth-highest in the nation, ranks first among the CCIW, and sets a new single-season record for the Green and White. Kiichle’s 4.95 points per game average sits him at 36th nationally, while his 0.475 shot percentage is 25th.
Black, a strong midfielder, exploded for 49 goals, second-most on the team, and 53 total points for IWU. The junior closed out the season with six goals against No. 13 Denison University in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. The Peoria, Ill. native earned First Team All-CCIW honors after scoring 22 goals in eight conference matches. Black net eight man-up goals, tied for the most on the Titan squad, and scooped up 25 ground balls with three caused turnovers in 17 games played.
Black and Kiichle were two of just five CCIW student-athletes to make the list, as the duo was joined by Transylvania University’s Dalton Hubbs and Trenton Herubin and Dylan Mlinarich of North Central College.
