McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team has expanded its coaching staff with the addition of Ben Arends and Kevin MacBride. Head coach Zach Iannucci announced their appointments on October 9, stating that Arends will assist with the offense while MacBride will lead the defense and work with goalies.

Arends is returning to familiar territory, having played for the Titans during his senior year in 2020. Before joining IWU, he was part of Aurora University's men's lacrosse team for three years, earning First Team All-Midwest Lacrosse Conference honors twice. Despite his success at Aurora, IWU has maintained an undefeated record against them in NCAA tournament games.

Recently, Arends has been involved in coaching True Lacrosse locally and is expected to contribute significantly to offensive player development at IWU. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from IWU.

MacBride arrives from Merrick, New York, where he worked as Assistant Director of Student Life at New York Tech and coached junior varsity lacrosse at Calhoun High School. A Springfield College graduate with a degree in rehabilitation and disability studies, MacBride played as a goalie for four years. His experience includes coaching the University of Iowa Men's Club Lacrosse team while completing his Master's Degree in Higher Education. Additionally, he co-founded Kingfisher Lacrosse in Cedar Rapids.

Their arrival comes after the Titans' successful season, marked by their sixth consecutive perfect regular season in conference play and their seventh CCIW Regular Season Championship.