The Illinois Wesleyan University women’s lacrosse team received both offensive and defensive player of the week honors in the first round of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) awards for the season. Senior Anelise DiGiovanni was named offensive player of the week, while senior Sadie Newton earned recognition as defensive player.
DiGiovanni received her first weekly award in her collegiate career. Newton, who had previously been recognized as offensive player of the week on March 25, 2025, picked up her first defensive honor. The last time Illinois Wesleyan swept these awards was also in March 2025, when Lizzie Rymarcsuk joined Newton as honorees. The Titans started their season with two wins, marking their best opening since 2019.
In the opening two games of 2026, DiGiovanni led the team’s offense by recording a total of 16 points—six goals and ten assists—along with six ground balls and three caused turnovers. In a 15-12 win over Illinois Institute of Technology on February 21, she contributed three goals and three assists for six points, along with three ground balls and three caused turnovers. She followed this performance with a career-high ten points and seven assists in a 20-10 victory against Augsburg University on February 22.
Newton led defensively during these games, totaling fourteen draw controls, eleven ground balls, eight caused turnovers, and scoring seven goals across both contests. In the game against IIT on February 21, she scored three goals and recorded six draw controls, four caused turnovers, and three ground balls. Against Augsburg on February 22, she added eight draw controls, eight ground balls, four caused turnovers, and four points.
Illinois Wesleyan will next play Aurora University at home on Wednesday, February 25 at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington. The team is part of NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics within the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), playing home games at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington. Their roster includes student-athletes from freshman to fifth-year classes according to their official website.
