McLean County Times

For the first time in its history, Illinois Wesleyan University's men's volleyball team has a player recognized on the All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) teams. Senior Michael Eastman from Chicago earned Second Team All-CCIW honors following an impressive senior season, as announced by the league's office on April 9.

Eastman, who joined the inaugural team in 2021, has been integral to the program since his arrival. In CCIW play, he ranked sixth with 102 kills over 32 sets, averaging 3.19 kills per set with a .210 attack percentage. He was also sixth in points per game with an average of 3.66 per set, amassing 117 points during conference matches. His performance included 10 aces and an average of 0.31 aces per set, tying for seventh place in the CCIW rankings. Additionally, Eastman contributed 49 digs (1.53 per set), eight blocks, and three assists.

In the 2024 season, Eastman surpassed the milestone of 1000 career points with a kill against Augustana College on March 24 during Senior Day. This achievement made him the first player in program history to reach this mark. He concluded the season with a record-breaking total of 256 kills and a new single-season record average of 3.28 kills per set.

Another senior from Illinois Wesleyan University, Bradley Benson from Lemont Township, received IWU's CCIW RESPECT Award.

The CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year title went to Corey Mayotte from Loras College while Max Sellers from Augustana was named Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year. The Setter Co-Student-Athletes of the Year were Gene McNulty from Carthage and Joe Horn from Loras. Owen Otto from Carthage was recognized as First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year and Dylan Ross from Loras was awarded Coach of the Year.

Members named to the All-CCIW First Team include Aidan Bolen and Max Sellers from Augustana; Ryan Cholewinski and Gene McNulty from Carthage; Owen Otto also from Carthage; Dorian Fiorenza and Joe Horn both representing Loras; alongside Corey Mayotte also from Loras.

Joining Michael Eastman on the All-CCIW Second Team are Ty Heater and Benjamin Schultz from Augustana; Ben Heise representing Carthage; Tyler Donovan, Cooper Lundal, Jared Moser all hailing from North Central; along with Kaleb Patrick representing North Park.

The recipients of this year's CCIW RESPECT Award include Zach Moreano (Augustana), Keegan Brumitt (Carthage), Bradley Benson (Illinois Wesleyan), Brady Oberfoel (Loras), Karson Eggert (North Central), and Christian Ayar (North Park).