ELMHURST, Ill. — Elmhurst secured the CCIW men’s lacrosse regular-season championship on Saturday with a 16-12 win over Illinois Wesleyan University at Langhorst Field.
 
The regular-season title is the first in program history for the Bluejays. Elmhurst closed the conference schedule at the top of the standings and will enter the CCIW postseason as the league’s regular-season champion.
 
Eli Spence led Elmhurst with 10 points, scoring a game-high eight goals with two assists. The Bluejays took a 7-4 lead after the opening quarter and held an 11-7 advantage at halftime.
 
Illinois Wesleyan pulled within 12-11 early in the fourth quarter on a goal by Holden Webster with 11:57 remaining. Elmhurst answered with four of the final five goals to close the contest, including Spence’s eighth goal with 3:15 left.
 
Elmhurst finished with a 50-41 advantage in shots and a 36-25 edge in ground balls. The Bluejays also controlled faceoffs, winning 22 of 29 draws. Tony Vazquez went 21-for-27 at the faceoff spot.
 
Andrew Lacksonen earned the win in goal for Elmhurst, making 12 saves over 60 minutes. Illinois Wesleyan received four goals and two assists from Noah Dretzka, while Timothy McHugh added three assists.