NAPERVILLE — With one weekend remaining in the regular season, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s lacrosse standings remain unsettled entering Saturday’s final league schedule. 
 
Elmhurst has secured at least a share of its first regular-season championship, while seeding for next week’s CCIW Men’s Lacrosse Championship remains to be finalized. Recent results included Carthage’s first win over Illinois Wesleyan since 2017, a shutout victory by the Titans and several conference student-athletes maintaining positions among the NCAA Division III statistical leaders.
 
Bluejays Perch Atop the Standings
Elmhurst enters the final weekend in first place in the CCIW standings at 4-0 in league play. The Bluejays earned a 22-11 win at North Central last Saturday behind seven goals apiece from Eli Spence and Hunter Hernandez. Tony Vazquez also contributed to the victory by winning 21 of 29 faceoffs and collecting 15 ground balls.
 
Elmhurst followed that result with a 17-9 road win at Carthage on Wednesday to secure at least a share of the program’s first CCIW regular-season title. Hernandez recorded six goals and seven points, while Andrew Lacksonen made 19 saves. The Bluejays can clinch the outright title and the No. 1 seed in the CCIW tournament with a win over Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
Firebirds Extinguish a Titan Legend
Carthage moved into the conference title race last Saturday with a 12-9 win over Illinois Wesleyan, its first victory against the Titans since 2017. The result ended Illinois Wesleyan’s 41-game CCIW regular-season winning streak, which dated back to April 8, 2017.
 
The Firebirds trailed 6-1 at halftime before outscoring the Titans 7-1 in the third quarter. Jake Westland and Henry Arnold each scored three goals for Carthage. Josh Flores added seven caused turnovers and eight ground balls, a performance that led to CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week honors. 
 
Carthage later fell to Elmhurst on Wednesday, but remained tied for second place at 3-1 in conference play.
 
Green and White Defensive Masterclass
Illinois Wesleyan responded to its loss at Carthage with a 26-0 win at Augustana on Wednesday. The shutout marked the second time in program history that the Titans held an opponent scoreless.
 
Twelve Illinois Wesleyan players scored in the victory. Freshman Brody Jones led the Titans with five goals, while Timothy McHugh finished with a team-high nine points. Defensively, Illinois Wesleyan limited Augustana to 12 shots. Jaymeson Zackery, Sam Scott, A.J. Ellis and Henry Cotter combined in goal for the shutout. 
 
The win moved the Titans to 3-1 in the CCIW ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Elmhurst. Illinois Wesleyan also remained second nationally in caused turnovers per game at 15.27.
 
Cardinals and Pioneers Trade Blows
North Central and Carroll both enter the final weekend at 1-3 in conference play after splitting recent results. Carroll defeated Augustana 16-4 last Saturday on Senior Day, led by five goals from Anthony Defilippis and a 17-for-21 faceoff effort from Jake Wright.
 
North Central answered Wednesday with a 16-3 win over Carroll. Ty Nagy led the Cardinals with a career-high six goals and one assist, while Chris Veal scored four goals. North Central used a 15-goal run after Carroll scored the opening goal. The Cardinals finished with a 43-30 advantage in shots and a 30-19 edge in ground balls.
 
Navigating the NPI Numbers
The NCAA Power Index remains part of the national postseason discussion as Division III teams move toward the NCAA Championship selection process. The NPI includes winning percentage and strength of schedule, along with multipliers for home and away results.
 
Through games played Wednesday, Elmhurst had the top NPI ranking among CCIW programs at No. 27. Illinois Wesleyan followed at No. 61, with Carthage at No. 104.
 
Statistical Superstars on a National Stage
Several CCIW players remain listed among the NCAA Division III statistical leaders through the third week of April. Elmhurst’s Eli Spence ranks eighth nationally in points per game at 5.93 and 12th in goals per game at 3.87. Teammate Tony Vazquez is 12th in faceoff winning percentage at .712 and 18th in ground balls per game at 9.07.
 
Augustana’s Jamar Taylor ranks eighth nationally in caused turnovers per game at 3.21. Illinois Wesleyan’s Timothy McHugh leads the CCIW in assists per game at 2.14, while Elmhurst’s Hunter Hernandez ranks 31st nationally in goals per game at 3.31. As a team, Elmhurst leads the CCIW in scoring offense at 14.93 goals per game and scoring margin at plus-6.13.
 
Breaking Deadlocks and Bracket Building
The final regular-season schedule will determine the bracket for the CCIW Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins with semifinal games next Wednesday, April 29. If teams are tied in the standings, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, followed by record against teams above the tie.
 
If a tie remains, the next criterion is goal differential in conference games among tied teams, with a maximum credit of seven goals per win. Additional tiebreakers include fewest goals allowed in conference games and, if necessary, a coin flip.
 
Saturday’s schedule includes Illinois Wesleyan at Elmhurst at 3 p.m., North Central at Augustana at 4 p.m. and Carroll at Carthage at 7 p.m. The results will finalize seeding for next week’s conference tournament.