NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Alonso Morales will compete in his first collegiate lacrosse season this spring with Illinois Wesleyan University. Before arriving in Bloomington, Morales had the opportunity to represent Mexico on the country’s national lacrosse team at the Pan-American Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Kingston, Jamaica. For Morales, representing Mexico while continuing his lacrosse career at Illinois Wesleyan and in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin is about much more than simply playing the sport. It is an opportunity to represent his family, his heritage, and the community that helped shape him.
The CCIW is proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, and recognize the accomplishments and impact that Hispanic and Latino student-athletes, coaches, and staff have made across the conference.
Morales is a native of Round Lake Beach, Illinois, with a familial connection to Zacatecas, Mexico. Sports started early for Morales; at five years old, he was playing soccer and quickly became “all-in” with the sport. He later earned opportunities to play at the academy level in Mexico, but ultimately declined, leaving him uncertain about his future. Around the same time, his brother was participating in his senior season of high school lacrosse, and a seed was planted in his mind.
“I got to his games, and I was so confused about how it worked,” he recounted, but his brother's push eventually got him onto the field. Once he tried it, he recalls that “one thing led to another; now I was all lacrosse.”
When Morales started at the club level, he was immediately welcomed onto his brother’s former coach's team and found some of his best friends. As time went on, his love for the game developed and passion began to fuel him. What ultimately drove Morales’ decision to commit fully to lacrosse was what he saw as an opportunity to make the greatest impact. He describes being drawn to doing something different from what was expected of him and using that path to inspire change and growth across the broader lacrosse and athletics communities. Today, that mission continues to drive him, now with an even greater opportunity to represent Mexico on the international stage.
For Morales, heritage means legacy. It means looking back at his family’s story and appreciating the people who came before him and helped shape the opportunities he has today. “My last name isn’t just me; it is all those people before me. Looking back at all those people before me, I remember it’s not just for myself again. It’s for the people that were here before me, the people in the present, and for those in the future.”
Though participating in a sport that is underrepresented in the Hispanic community, Morales holds this belief closely and credits it with guiding him through the difficulties of working
through the demographic makeup of the sport. He recounts, “You would feel left out with bigger clubs you would play against, but then you just have to remember that it’s just not about yourself.” Morales keeps his family at the forefront of who he plays for and represents on the field.
Even when opponents criticized him, Morales stayed grounded in his goals and belief that he was playing for something greater than himself, reminding himself, “If they’re saying something, I’m doing something right.”
The process of joining Mexico’s National Team moved quickly, as one moment his friend reached out to the coach on his behalf, the next he was at a tryout among the country’s 50 best players. Morales recalls thinking before the tryout that "I was aiming to be the 22nd guy."
Morales would go on to not only earn a spot on Mexico’s 22-man roster, but also play a significant role for the team.
The Pan-American Championship took place over seven days in August 2026, where nine teams competed to qualify for the 2027 World Lacrosse Men's Championship in Tokyo, Japan. After falling 9-8 to Puerto Rico to claim the last qualifying spot, Morales and Team Mexico will return to play next summer in Poland to compete for a spot in the Olympic qualifying rounds.
Outside of lacrosse, Morales is studying Political Science at Illinois Wesleyan and hopes to pursue his Juris Doctorate after graduating and aim to become an Attorney General for the State. The same drive he has on the field also fuels him professionally and in education. He wants to work for something bigger than himself, while advocating for others.
Morales’ journey with Illinois Wesleyan and CCIW Men’s Lacrosse kicks off in early 2027, with scheduling details coming soon.
About Hispanic Heritage Month:
National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually observed from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic culture to the nation's achievements, culture, and history.
Special thank you to Alonso Morales, Illinois Wesleyan Athletics, Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Communications, Katie Gonzales and Trinity Tatman for their contributions to this feature.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).