NAPERVILLE — The race for positioning within the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) continued during the previous week as conference men’s lacrosse programs completed a full slate of non-conference competition. 
 
The previous week was highlighted by a road win over a nationally ranked opponent, while several teams either maintained or established multi-game stretches of results. 
 
With conference play set to begin in early April, February action has produced an early standings picture led by an unbeaten program and multiple teams clustered around the .500 mark.
 
Significant Shifts Across the Conference Map
CCIW teams combined for 12 contests between last Saturday and Wednesday. Elmhurst opened the window on Saturday with an 11-10 road win at No. 19 Denison, paced by four goals from Fischer Son and a game-high five points from Eli Spence … Also on Saturday, Carthage defeated DePauw, 12-5, behind four goals from Jake Westland and six caused turnovers from Josh Flores, while Augustana earned a 13-5 win over Earlham as Nik Schaafsma recorded six goals and one assist. 
 
Illinois Wesleyan fell 15-14 to Aurora despite four goals from Jake Kahoun, and North Central dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to Benedictine despite four goals from Ty Nagy … Carroll moved to 0-3 with a 12-2 loss at Trine, where Jake Gehl made 17 saves.
 
Play resumed Sunday with Carthage defeating Dubuque, 11-8. On Wednesday, Carthage extended its winning streak to three games with a 13-6 road win at Edgewood, led by five goals from Andy Slattery and 13 ground balls from Keyan Schugel … Illinois Wesleyan earned a 7-6 road win at DePauw on Wednesday, while Augustana moved to 2-2 after a 6-3 home loss to Cornell in a game where Hagan Quigley totaled 10 saves. 
 
Carroll fell 9-5 to Lawrence despite 11 saves from Jonas Malmanger, and North Central moved to 0-2 following a 13-4 loss to Concordia Wisconsin.
 
Elite Efforts Under the Lights
Several individual performances impacted both conference and national statistical categories. Elmhurst’s Eli Spence totaled 10 points across two games, including three goals and two assists in Saturday’s win at No. 19 Denison … Augustana’s Nik Schaafsma posted the conference’s top single-game scoring line last week with six goals and one assist against Earlham on Saturday, while freshman Jamar Taylor contributed nine ground balls, four caused turnovers and two assists in the same contest.
 
Carthage’s Andy Slattery scored five goals in the Firebirds’ 13-6 win at Edgewood on Wednesday, and Keyan Schugel provided a possession lift in that game with 13 ground balls while winning 18 of 23 faceoffs. Westland also produced six points (four goals, two assists) in Carthage’s 12-5 win over DePauw last weekend. Through Friday, Spence and Westland are the league leaders in points per game.
 
National Notables and Statistical Standards
As of Friday, CCIW teams and student-athletes are listed in multiple national statistical categories. Augustana leads the nation in man-down defense (1.000) … Illinois Wesleyan ranks second nationally in caused turnovers per game (18.7), and Carroll is third nationally in total saves (72). 
 
Individually, Elmhurst’s Eli Spence ranks fourth nationally in points per game (9.0) and fifth in assists per game (4.5), while Elmhurst defender Gabe Henry is fifth nationally in caused turnovers per game (4.0).
 
Within the league, Carthage’s Keyan Schugel leads in ground balls per game (6.8) … Carthage goalkeeper Jake Williamson leads the conference in goals-against average (7.10) and Carroll’s Jonas Malmanger holds the top save percentage in the CCIW (.634) … North Central’s Ty Nagy leads the league in shot percentage (.571) … Elmhurst leads the CCIW in scoring offense at 14.0 goals per game, and Carthage leads in scoring defense, allowing 6.8 goals per game.
 
Assessing the Early Hierarchy
Entering the weekend, Elmhurst leads the overall standings at 2-0. Carthage is second at 4-1 and has won three straight, while Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan are tied at 2-2. North Central is 0-2, and Carroll is 0-4. 
 
Non-Conference Slates Offer Key Tests
The upcoming schedule includes several non-conference matchups against regional opponents. Elmhurst will host Aurora on Saturday in its home opener, while North Central will host Dubuque on Saturday as both programs look to improve their overall records. 
 
North Central is also scheduled to host Lawrence next Wednesday following Lawrence’s 9-5 win over Carroll on Wednesday. Illinois Wesleyan will host Benedictine next Thursday after Benedictine defeated North Central, 6-5 in overtime last Saturday.
 
Program Highs and Historical Markers
Elmhurst’s win at No. 19 Denison last Saturday marked the program’s first victory over a nationally ranked opponent, and Spence scored the game-winning goal after Denison tied the game late in regulation. 
 
At North Central, Ty Nagy matched his career high with four goals in the Saturday overtime loss to Benedictine … Carthage also had a career-best faceoff performance from Keyan Schugel during the Firebirds’ 11-8 win over Dubuque on Sunday.