NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced its Men’s Lacrosse Student-Athletes of the Week for the opening week of the 2026 season on Monday. Elmhurst senior Eli Spence was selected as the Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week, while Illinois Wesleyan senior Billy McHugh earned Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
Offensive: Eli Spence, Elmhurst
Spence, a native of Snoqualmie, Wash., helped lead the Bluejays to a 17-11 road win at Centre on Saturday. He totaled 12 points in the season opener with five goals and seven assists. With his seventh point of the game, Spence set Elmhurst’s all-time program record for career points.
The senior finished the contest with 16 shots and one ground ball, bringing his career total to 295 points.
Defensive: Billy McHugh, Illinois Wesleyan
McHugh helped the Titans to a 1-1 opening week while recording seven caused turnovers and six ground balls across two games. In an 11-10 win over Colorado College on Friday, he posted a man-down goal, three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
On Sunday, the senior defender from Orland Park, Ill. tied a career-high with five caused turnovers and added an assist against Southwestern. His performance helped anchor a defensive effort that established a new IWU record with 32 caused turnovers in a single contest.
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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.).