McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team is preparing to kick off the 2025 season at the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans will compete in two games over the weekend of February 15-16. They are set to face Transylvania University on Saturday at 4:45 p.m., followed by a match against Centre College on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Head Coach Zach Iannucci, now in his 12th season with the Titans, has added Kevin MacBride and Ben Arends to his coaching staff. Since their first season in 2014, the team has achieved a record of 139 wins and 45 losses.

Last year, Illinois Wesleyan swept both the regular season and tournament titles of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and participated in their sixth NCAA Tournament.

Returning players include five All-CCIW selections from last year: Gage Black, Colin Tervo, Sam Skelton, Sam Weinberg, and Noah Dretzka. In addition to these returning athletes, IWU welcomes 19 newcomers this season.

Gage Black returns as IWU's leading scorer from last year with 71 points and was named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention for the second consecutive year after receiving USILA All-American Honorable Mention honors last season.

Sophomore Timothy McHugh contributed significantly last year with 37 assists. Dretzka also played a crucial role with 30 assists. Skelton was one of IWU's top defenders with notable performances in turnovers and ground balls. Goalkeeper Colin Tervo made a substantial impact with his saves last season.

Zo Lombardo excelled in faceoffs last year with a .547 win percentage. The upcoming game against Transylvania marks their sixth meeting since 2014, where IWU holds a slight advantage with three wins out of five encounters. Their previous meetings resulted in victories for IWU during both regular-season play and the CCIW Tournament Championship in 2023.

The Titans' matchup against Centre will be only their second meeting ever; they previously secured a win back in March 2016.

Both games will take place at Ensworth Lacrosse Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Fans can access live streams and stats through iwusports.com.