McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team has welcomed 13-year-old Dylan Gilbraith as its newest member through a partnership with Team IMPACT. The announcement was made by head coach Zach Iannucci during a press conference on April 25 in Bloomington, Illinois.

Team IMPACT is a national non-profit organization that connects children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams. This program is designed to foster socialization, empowerment, and resilience between the teams and the children involved.

Gilbraith, who hails from Normal, Illinois, officially joined the Titan men's lacrosse program after supporting the team throughout the 2024 season. Senior attackman and leadership team captain Bob Boone remarked on Gilbraith's positive influence on the team.

Following his signing of the national letter of intent, assistant coach Dylan Abplanalp presented Gilbraith with a customized IWU lacrosse jersey.

Illinois Wesleyan is now one of 19 schools in Illinois to collaborate with Team IMPACT. It joins Carroll University as the second College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin member school participating in this initiative.

Team IMPACT has been operational since 2011 and has matched over 3,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities across all 50 states. The organization has had an impact on over 75,000 student-athletes nationwide. More information can be found at www.teamimpact.org.