Sophomore Noah Cleveland from Illinois Wesleyan University has received two major awards from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), as three Titans players were named to the league’s all-conference teams. The selections, announced on February 23, represent the highest number for any school in the conference. Head coach Ron Rose and his staff were also recognized as the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year.
Cleveland made history by becoming the first student-athlete in CCIW history to be named both Most Outstanding Player and First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year in a single season. He is also the first Titan to earn player of the year honors since Matthew Leritz in 2022, and only the third in program history to win First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year.
Cleveland, along with junior Mason Funk, was selected for the All-CCIW First Team. Senior Karlo Colak earned a spot on the second team. All three players are receiving all-conference recognition for the first time in their careers. Senior David Williams was chosen as Illinois Wesleyan’s recipient of the CCIW RESPECT Award.
In his debut collegiate season, Cleveland started all 14 conference games, averaging 19.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He became the first Titan since Cody Mitchell (2022-23) to average a double-double in league play and led the conference with a 61 percent field goal percentage. Cleveland also averaged 2.7 assists per game, ranked second in blocks per game (1.7), fourth in steals (1.7), recorded eight double-doubles, and had five games with at least 20 points.
Funk started all 16 conference games during his junior year, ranking second on his team in scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounding (7.1 rebounds per game). He led both his team and the conference with 53 blocks and 29 steals—the first player to do so since at least 2010-11—and added 36 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
Colak served as co-captain this season, starting every conference game and averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and contributing across multiple statistical categories including assists and steals.
Illinois Wesleyan secured its 34th CCIW Regular Season Championship this year and will host the final rounds of the conference tournament at its home venue in Bloomington, Illinois—a campus facility where they have played home games historically according to their official website. The Titans’ men’s basketball program competes at NCAA Division III level within intercollegiate athletics under green and white colors (source), using “Titans” as their nickname (source). The program previously won national championships in both 1997 and 2001 (source).
The Titans will next play on Friday, February 27, hosting one of two semifinals inside Shirk Center.
“Noah Cleveland, Illinois Wesleyan” was named Fred Young CCIW Most Outstanding Student-Athlete.
“Noah Cleveland, Illinois Wesleyan” was awarded CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year.
“Illinois Wesleyan” was named CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year.
