BASKETBALL
Hupmann named NCAC Top Defensive Player; Buccilla earns First Team All-NCAC honors
Wabash College senior post player Noah Hupmann earned the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Top Defensive Player for the 2024-25 season while also earning Second Team All-Conference honors. Fellow senior guard Vinny Buccilla joined Hupmann on the 2025 All-NCAC Men’s Basketball Team as a First Team selection for the second consecutive season.
Hupmann, the seven-foot, two-inch rim protector on the Wabash defensive end of the floor, is the first Wabash player to earn the NCAC Top Defensive Player Award since its inception as part of the 2016-17 conference awards. He led Division III with 96 blocked shots in 26 starts for an average of 3.69 blocks per contest and ranked number one among Division III players. The 96 blocked shots broke his own school record of 74 shot rejections in a season, set last year. Hupmann, a transfer from Northern Kentucky University, finished his career with 170 blocked shots to rank second on the Little Giants’ all-time list. Hupmann tied the Wabash single-game record for blocked shots with nine against Transylvania University.
Hupmann anchored a Wabash defense that ranked 15th among Division III in scoring defense, limiting opposing teams to 63.1 points per contest.
Hupmann earned Second Team All-NCAC honors by averaging 6.2 points and 8.8 rebounds a contest for the season. He averaged 6.35 defensive boards a game to rank among the top 60 players in Division III. He snared 233 total rebounds this season, the 14th-best in Wabash single-season history. He recorded three double-doubles in his senior season. He scored a career-high 16 points against Ohio Wesleyan in a home win in February and snagged a career-best 16 rebounds ten days later at home against Oberlin. The senior averaged 6.4 points and 9.7 rebounds a contest in NCAC games. His 9.7 boards-per-game average led the conference by almost two rebounds a game, while his 114 defensive boards in conference games were 20 more than any other NCAC player.
Buccilla grabbed First Team All-NCAC honors for the second consecutive season by leading the Little Giants in scoring in 2024-2025 with a 15.1 points-per-game average. The senior guard scored 396 in his final season at Wabash for a four-year total of 1,199 points, 19th-most in program history. Buccilla tallied 233 points in conference games for a 14.6 points-per-game average, ranking him fourth among NCAC players this season. He gave out 49 assists in conference contests for a 3.1 assists-per-game average to rank fifth among NCAC players. He tied for fourth in the NCAC in steals in conference games with 22 for a 1.4 steals-per-game average.
Buccilla played in 114 career games, the second most by a Wabash player, and started 91 teams for the sixth-most by a Little Giant basketball player. He made 162 career three-point baskets to rank seventh on the Wabash career list. His 105 career steals rank 12th, while his 201 career assists tie for 17th in program history.
LACROSSE
Little Giants lose to undefeated Illinois Wesleyan
BLOOMINGTON, Illinois — Wabash nearly matched Illinois Wesleyan goal for goal Wednesday evening in a road non-conference game. However, a 2-0 deficit in the second period proved too much to overcome in the Little Giants’ 11-6 loss.
Wabash (3-2) trailed 2-0 in the first period after a pair of goals by Illinois Wesleyan (6-0). Jake Pippen put the Little Giants on the scoreboard with his fifth goal of the season to trim the Titans’ advantage to 2-1. Charlie Rafalko picked up his 11th goal of the year to match a third goal by IWU for a 3-2 deficit at the end of the first 15 minutes of play.
Illinois Wesleyan scored twice in the second period to expand the lead to 5-2 at halftime, then added the first goal of the third period before Pippen found the back of the net for the second time in the contest. Will Sorg scored his eighth goal of the year at the end of the period after Illinois Wesleyan had scored again to put the score at 7-4 in favor of the Titans entering the final quarter of play.
Wabash picked up goals from Pippen, his third of the night, and Quinn Fitzgerald in the fourth period, but Illinois Wesleyan answered with four goals to finish off the contest with a five-goal difference.
Fitzgerald provided three assists for the Little Giants, with Pippen, Sorg, and Evan Bair each adding an assist apiece. Wabash scored twice on eight extra-man opportunities while holding the Titans scoreless in three man-up situations. Wabash goalkeeper Colin Krekeler finished with 13 saves and faced 58 total shots from IWU.
Bryce Poling caused three turnovers to lead the Wabash defense. Luka DiFilippo won eight faceoffs and picked up four ground balls tor the Little Giants.
Wabash heads to Virginia for three contests during the Little Giants’ spring break trip, beginning with a game against Greensboro College on Monday at 2 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
