NAPERVILLE — As April begins, the non-conference portion of the 2026 schedule has mostly concluded for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), and league play is set to begin. Recent results across the conference included high-scoring wins, defensive performances and matchups against nationally ranked opponents as teams completed the final stretch of non-conference competition before entering conference play.
 
Senior Spark and Individual Brilliance Garner Weekly Honors
The conference office announced its latest Women’s Lacrosse Student-Athletes of the Week on Tuesday, recognizing Illinois Wesleyan senior attacker Anelise DiGiovanni and Carthage senior defender Hannah Kim. 
 
DiGiovanni received offensive honors after totaling four goals, six assists, and 12 draw controls across two games, averaging 5.0 points per contest. In Illinois Wesleyan’s win over Hanover last Sunday, she established career highs in goals (4), draw controls (11) and ground balls (5), while matching her career best with 10 points. 
 
Kim was selected on the defensive side following her performance in Carthage’s 19-3 win over Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where she recorded five draw controls and three caused turnovers. She also added two goals and two caused turnovers in Wednesday’s victory over Lake Forest.
 
Firebirds Fly High on Art Keller Field
Carthage continued its non-conference schedule on Wednesday with a 14-3 win over Lake Forest in Kenosha. The Firebirds built an early advantage by holding Lake Forest scoreless in the opening period and taking a 5-0 lead behind goals from Rosie Nolan, Shannon Heitschmidt, and Piper LeFevre. Nolan finished with a game-high four goals, while Auggie Claridge totaled six assists and two goals. Heitschmidt added three goals in the win. 
 
Carthage also remained among the national leaders defensively, ranking sixth in Division III in scoring defense at 4.90 goals allowed per game. Goalkeeper Xochitl Delvale-Vera made four saves against Lake Forest and entered the week ranked third nationally with a 5.10 goals-against average.
 
Titan Time: Bloomington’s Offensive Explosion
Illinois Wesleyan closed its non-conference schedule last Sunday with a 21-12 home win over Hanover at Tucci Stadium. Eight Titans scored in the contest, including four goals each from Anelise DiGiovanni, Sophie Shore and Sadie Newton. Shore also recorded seven ground balls and five caused turnovers, while Newton and DiGiovanni each collected five ground balls. 
 
Illinois Wesleyan controlled the draw throughout the game, finishing with a 24-11 advantage. DiGiovanni accounted for 11 draw controls, and the Titans entered the week ranked 44th nationally with an average of 14.00 draw controls per game.
 
Pioneers Persevere Through Non-Conference Gauntlet
Carroll concluded its non-conference schedule with losses to Wisconsin-River Falls and No. 20 Chicago. 
 
Last Saturday, the Pioneers dropped a 13-7 decision on the road against UWRF. Rebecca Hallman led Carroll with two goals and one assist, while Lauren Fricke, Paige Helms, Samantha Hurd, Sierra Skack, and Elizabeth Wang each scored once. 
 
On Wednesday, Carroll fell 19-8 at home against Chicago. Wang finished with two goals and one assist, and Elaina Phaneuf also posted a multi-goal performance. Defensively, graduate student Grace Tumilty recorded six ground balls against Wisconsin-River Falls and followed with eight ground balls against Chicago. 
 
Carroll enters conference play ranked 37th nationally in assists per game at 7.45.
 
Bluejays Battle Through Road Trip to Ohio
Elmhurst traveled to Springfield, Ohio last Friday for a non-conference game against Wittenberg and fell by a 12-7 score. The Bluejays opened with an early goal from Olivia Ingraffia and later received a game-tying score from Zoe Valdevenito in the first quarter. Ingraffia finished with two goals, while Grace Lorkiewicz, Ashley Kay Sardon, Andrea Murtland and Hannah Jacob also scored. Goalkeeper Jacq Vanoni played the full 60 minutes and made 10 saves. 
 
Vanoni entered the week ranked 37th nationally with 92 total saves, and Elmhurst ranked 17th nationally in fouls per game at 1.60.
 
The National Leaderboard: CCIW’s Statistical Standouts
The conference continued to have representation in the national statistics as of Thursday. Augustana ranked second in Division III in both ground balls per game (29.73) and caused turnovers per game (15.27). Carroll’s Grace Tumilty stood fourth nationally in both ground balls per game (5.73) and caused turnovers per game (4.18). 
 
Augustana’s Becca Lacina ranked 34th nationally in total assists with 24, while Madison Langewisch was 39th in total goals with 37. North Central’s Mikaela Busse ranked 51st nationally in free-position goals per game at 0.75. Carthage also entered the week ninth nationally in winning percentage at .900.
 
Conference Standings and the Road Ahead
Conference play begins this weekend. Carthage enters with a 9-1 overall record, followed by Carroll at 9-2. Augustana is 7-4 overall, while Elmhurst is 4-6 and Illinois Wesleyan is 4-7. North Central begins conference action at 2-6 overall. 
 
Saturday’s conference openers include Carroll at Elmhurst at 12 p.m., Augustana at Carthage at 1 p.m., and North Central at Illinois Wesleyan at 1 p.m. 
 
Carthage is also scheduled to host Chicago in a non-conference game next Wednesday, April 8, at 6 p.m.