GRANVILLE, Ohio (May 7, 2023) – Following it 14-13 comeback win over Kenyon College in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship earlier on Sunday, the Denison University men's lacrosse team earned the NCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament and will host the winner of Illinois Wesleyan University and Aurora University in the second round of the tournament on Saturday, May 13.

During the regular season, Denison's second season under the leadership of Head Coach Eric Koch, the Big Red went 7-1 against conference opponents and finished in a three-team tie for first place to win their 21st NCAC regular-season championship in program history.

With an overall record of 16-3, Denison will be competing in the national tournament for the 27th time in program history and for the seventh season in a row after winning its seventh straight NCAC Tournament title. This will also be Denison's 47th NCAA Tournament game since the program's first appearance in 1982.

Illinois Wesleyan is 14-3 overall and took down Transylvania University, 14-11, to win the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Championship on Saturday and secure a trip to their fifth NCAA Tournament. The Titans are no strangers to the postseason, having qualified for the national tournament in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and this season.

Aurora is 15-4 overall, won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) regular season championship, and defeated Illinois Institute of Technology in dominating fashion 23-4 to win the NACC Tournament. The Spartan men's lacrosse program will make its seventh NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championships appearance in the program's 13th season and first since 2018. With a 4-6 all-time record in the NCAA tournament, four of the previous six NCAA appearances for AU resulted in the Spartans reaching the Sweet 16 after winning the programs and State of Illinois' first NCAA contest in 2013, defeating Ohio Wesleyan University 13-9 before falling to SUNY - Cortland 14-8. In 2014, AU defeated Adrian College 22-13 before falling to Denison University 11-8 and in 2015, AU defeated Otterbein University 8-6 before falling to Lynchburg College 19-8. In 2016, the Spartans defeated Albion College 12-11 in overtime before falling at Denison University 12-3. In 2017, the Spartans hosted the NCAA contest for the first-time and fell to Illinois Wesleyan on Vago Field 19-15. The last appearance in 2018, AU fell at Ohio Wesleyan 13-5.

Illinois Wesleyan will host Aurora on Wednesday, May 10, in Bloomington, Illinois, with the winner making the trip to Granville, Ohio. Wednesday's NCAA Tournament opening round game will mark the rematch of a regular season bout between the Titans and Spartans. IWU took down AU, 16-7, in Aurora March 29, 2023. The match-up will be the 11th all-time between the schools and the second matchup in the NCAA tournament.

Denison will also host the University Lynchburg vs. St. John Fisher University on Saturday as part of the weekend regional. Lynchburg is 13-6 and saw its quest for a third-straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship narrowly come to an end Saturday as the Hornets fell 12-11 against No. 9 Washington and Lee University. Lynchburg, an at-large pick from the ODAC, enters national play for the 16th time and holds a 13-15 record all-time in the tournament. The Hornets finished as national runners-up in 2015.

St. John Fisher is 10-9 and competed at home in the Empire 8 Championship Final against Nazareth College on Saturday, where the Cardinals dominated and won by a final score of 19-7. St. John Fisher, the AQ from the Empire 8, makes its fourth national appearance and is 3-3 in the tournament.

The winners between Denison/Illinois Wesleyan/Aurora and Lynchburg/St. John Fisher will then play in the third round (Sweet 16) on Sunday, March 14. Denison is ranked No. 13 in the latest USILA / Blatant Lacrosse 2023 Men's Coaches Division III Poll while Lynchburg provides some stiff competition at No. 11.

Denison is 2-0 all-time against Illinois Wesleyan with wins of 25-11 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 25-9 in the second round in 2018.

The Big Red are 3-0 all-time against Aurora, including wins of 11-8 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 12-3 in the second round in 2016.

Against Lynchburg, Denison is 3-2 all-time and is 1-1 against the Hornets in the NCAA Tournament. Lynchburg defeated Denison 9-6 in the first round of the tournament in 2005 before Denison earned an 18-9 win in the 2017 quarterfinals. The most recent meeting between the two teams was a 13-12 defeat for the Big Red last season (Mar. 18) during the Mustang Classic in Owings Mills, Maryland.

The Big Red won their only previous matchup against St. John Fisher with a 10-9 double overtime win on the road on February 25, 2020.

2023 NCAA DIII Men's Lacrosse Championship Selections
Interactive Bracket