NAPERVILLE — The previous week of College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s lacrosse featured seven non-conference matchups that provided an early snapshot of the 2026 league race. 
 
Carroll remains the lone unbeaten team in the conference, improving to 3-0 following a double-digit victory, while Illinois Wesleyan earned a one-goal comeback win at home. 
 
As the schedule moves into the second week of March, several programs will begin spring break travel and continue final non-conference tests ahead of the start of league play in April.
 
Late-Game Heroics and Overtime Marathons
Last Saturday, Carroll moved to 3-0 on the season with a 14-4 road victory over Aurora. Elizabeth Wang led the Pioneers with four goals and two assists, while Lauren Fricke added three goals and three assists. Carroll outshot Aurora 34-11 and won 15 of 20 draw controls.
 
Also last Saturday, Carthage opened its home schedule and fell 9-8 to Wisconsin-La Crosse in a game that extended through three overtime periods. Piper LeFevre paced the Firebirds with two goals and two assists, and goalkeeper Xochitl Delvale-Vera posted eight saves ... Augustana also competed last Saturday and absorbed its first loss of the season in an 11-7 decision at Edgewood. Madison Langewisch led the Vikings with three goals, two assists and four ground balls ... North Central opened its home schedule last Saturday and fell 18-2 to Hamline. Freshman Mikaela Busse scored both Cardinal goals, including one on a free-position attempt, and Samantha Alis collected four ground balls.
 
On Tuesday, Elmhurst hosted Alma and dropped a 12-11 decision after a late visitor free-position goal broke an 11-11 tie. Zoe Valdevenito recorded five goals and seven ground balls for the Bluejays, while Hannah Jacob scored two goals ... Also on Tuesday, North Central fell 12-5 to Saint Mary’s (Ind.), as CC Rovik made a season-high 13 saves.
 
Illinois Wesleyan defeated Cornell 11-10 on Wednesday after scoring twice in the final minute of regulation. Sadie Newton finished with three goals, two assists, five ground balls and five caused turnovers in the Titan win.
 
National Leaders and Statistical Peaks
The CCIW is represented on the NCAA Division III national statistical leaderboards through Wednesday. Carroll ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense at 3.33 goals allowed per game … Augustana ranks fifth nationally in ground balls per game at 32.75 … Illinois Wesleyan ranks first nationally in fouls per game at 0.25.
 
Individually, multiple CCIW student-athletes are listed among national leaders. Anelise DiGiovanni (Illinois Wesleyan) ranks sixth nationally in total assists with 13 and 46th in assists per game at 2.75 … Grace Tumilty (Carroll) ranks 11th in ground balls per game at 7.00 and 14th in caused turnovers per game at 4.00. 
 
Sadie Newton (Illinois Wesleyan) ranks 14th in caused turnovers per game at 4.00 and 59th in ground balls per game at 4.75 … Mikaela Busse (North Central) ranks 17th nationally in shots per game at 10.50 … Devon Duym (Carroll) holds the sixth-best goals-against average in the nation at 3.38.
 
Preparing for the Spring Break Slate
The upcoming schedule includes several non-conference matchups as teams prepare for spring travel. Elmhurst will host Beloit next Monday at 7 p.m. The game features the league’s leader in ground balls per game, as Elmhurst currently averages 23.67 ground balls as a team.
 
Illinois Wesleyan returns to action next Tuesday against DePauw at 4 p.m. The matchup features Anelise DiGiovanni, who currently leads the CCIW in total points with 25 ... North Central will host Illinois Tech on Tuesday at 5 p.m., with Mikaela Busse entering the week leading the conference at 10.50 shots per game.
 
Next Wednesday, Carroll travels to New York to face SUNY Canton at 11 a.m. The game features the conference’s leading scoring offense, as the Pioneers average 14.00 goals per game ... Also next Wednesday, Augustana will visit Beloit at 6 p.m., bringing the league’s top ground-ball producing unit into the matchup.
 
Milestones Reached and Barriers Broken
The previous week included several milestones. Grace Tumilty set a Carroll single-game record with 10 caused turnovers during last Saturday’s win over Aurora … Elmhurst’s Zoe Valdevenito set a career high with five goals last Tuesday, matching her entire goal total from the previous season.
 
At North Central, freshman Camille Krekeler scored her first collegiate goal on Tuesday against Saint Mary’s (Ind.) … Illinois Wesleyan goalkeeper Allison Vervynck earned her first career win on Wednesday after recording six saves in the second half against Cornell … Mikaela Busse recorded her first collegiate goals for North Central last Saturday against Hamline.