The Shirk Center -- Home of the Titans

(The IWU mens basketball team was second in average attendance for Division III schools in 2003-04 with 2077 fans per game at the Shirk Center, which seats 2680.   In each of the last  9 years, Illinois Wesleyan, Hope, and Calvin have comprised the top 3.)

5) Saturday March 11, 1995...Manchester 89, IWU 82

In an Elite Eight game with a Final Four berth on the line, Steve Alford becomes the first opposing coach ever to win at the Shirk Center.  T.J. Posey's 3 from the left wing goes halfway in and pops out with 2:00 to play -- this would have given IWU the lead.  Manchester goes on the national championship game, falling to Bo Ryan's UW-Platteville power.

4) Saturday March 7, 1998...IWU 95, Franklin 92 (OT)

Franklin's Jason Sibley puts on a show in this NCAA playoffs second round game.  IWU falls behind 3 at the end of regulation before Korey Coon charges down the floor to hit a 3.  Brent Niebrugge took over in OT, securing a Titan victory and trip to the Sweet 16 at UW-Platteville.

3) Saturday March 8, 1997...IWU 54, Rose Hulman 53

All-American Bryan Crabtree hits a 12 foot baseline jumpshot with 7.7 seconds remaining.  The Titans advanced to Sweet 16 and went on win the school's first national championship.

2)  Saturday January 14 1996...IWU 68, Wheaton 67

In final seconds, Brady Knight tips missed free throw to All American Chris Simich...reverse layup for winner. Outstanding Wheaton team featured Wesley Pitts, Matt Nadlehoffer, Jason Senick, and Tim Seniff...Wheaton goes on to win CCIW...IWU goes to Final Four, finishing 3rd in the country.

1) Saturday February 28, 2004...IWU 75, Wheaton 72

Photos

On the final night of the 2004 season, the Titans and Wheaton hook up in another classic - this one a winner take all game for the CCIW title.  In front of a crowd listed at 3000, but most likely closer to 3500, the Titans rallied from down 9 with 5:25 to play to defeat a very talented Thunder team, led by All-American Joel Kolmodin.  Freshman Zach Freeman led the Titans with 18 points and 8 rebounds and sophomore Keelan Amelianovich had 17 & 8.  Down the stretch sophomore guard Adam Dauksas (13 pts, 5 assists) made big play after big play and senior captain Jim Lehan (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists), who sparked the comeback effort, hit the free throws to seal it.

Year	Home	Road	Neutral	Total
1994-95	14-1	9-3	1-0	24-4
1995-96	17-0	9-2	2-1	28-3
1996-97	15-0	9-2	5-0	29-2
1997-98	13-0	7-3	2-2	22-5
1998-99	8-3	8-6	1-0	17-9
1999-00	12-1	4-7	0-1	17-8
2000-01	14-0	7-5	3-2	24-7
2001-02	8-3	3-8	1-1	12-12
2002-03	11-1	7-4	4-1	22-6
2003-04	12-1	8-5	1-1	21-7
Totals	124-10 (.925)	71-45 (.612)	21-8 (.724)	207-63 (.767)

The Shirk Center for Athletics and Recreation--a $15 million multipurpose athletic, recreation, and wellness complex--was dedicated on October 15, 1994.  It was funded in part by a $5 million gift from the Russell and Betty Shirk Foundation of Bloomington.  The Shirk family owns Beer Nuts Inc., the Bloomington-based snack food company.  The 135,344-square-foot Shirk Center is the cornerstone of Illinois Wesleyan's athletic facilities, which also includes Fort Natatorium and Illinois Wesleyan Stadium.

The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team won a school record 46 straight home games prior to losing to Benedictine, 73-70, on Dec. 9, 1998.  The only prior loss was on March 11, 1995 to Manchester (89-82) in the NCAA Division III Elite Eight. Manchester was coached by former Indiana University All-American Steve Alford, now the head coach at Iowa.

Among highlights of the two-level Shirk Center are:

The Arena, with a wood floor, for basketball, volleyball, and other physical education activities. The arena seats 2,680 for athletic events and 3,450 for commencement and other programs.

The Activity Center with a 200-meter, six-lane indoor track plus full indoor track-and-field facilities, two baseball/softball batting cages, and four multiuse courts for tennis, recreational basketball, volleyball, and badminton, as well as space to practice golf. It also houses facilities for baseball/softball infield practice.

The gymnasium, with a wood floor, will accommodate men's and women's basketball practices, volleyball practice, aerobics/wellness classes, and other activities.

The Fitness Center includes three racquetball courts, a weight/exercise room with cardiovascular and exercise equipment, and free weights. ÄAthletic support areas include locker rooms; training room for men and women; equipment, storage, and laundry areas; offices; classrooms; a concession stand area; and a display area for athletic trophies and other memorabilia chronicling Illinois Wesleyan's rich sports history.

PERFORMANCE ARENA

IWU vs Augustana, Jan. 30, 1999:

IWU vs Millikin, Feb. 5, 2000:

The Titan football team sings the national anthem...

The Titans Take the Floor..

All-American Korey Coon greats the kids along the baseline during starting lineups...

Tipoff...

ACTIVITY CENTER

30 Point Scoring Performances:

(through '01-02)

By IWU Players

42  Korey Coon, vs North Central, 2/23/00

40  Bryan Crabtree, vs Millikin, 2/24/96

33 Luke Kasten, vs Millikin, 2/23/02

32 Laban Cross, vs Wheaton, 2/13/02

32 Mark Aubry, vs Aurora, 11/30/94

31 Luke Kasten, vs Augustana, 1/9/02

31 Bryan Crabtree, vs Carthage, 12/7/96

31 Bryan Crabtree, vs Ripon, 2/29/96

31 Chris Simich, vs Westminster, 3/2/95

31 Jon Litwiller, vs Augustana, 1/10/96

30 Korey Coon, vs Wheaton, 2/19/00

30 Korey Coon, vs Benedictine, 12/4/99

30 Bryan Crabtree, vs Millikin, 1/8/97

30 Chris Simich, vs Wheaton, 1/14/95

By Opponents

37  Josh Hinz, Beloit, 12/2/03

35  Adam Provance, Millikin, 2/24/96

34  Jason Strickland, Roanoke, 11/19/99

34  Kyle Werve, Aurora, 1216/95

31 Chris Jeffries, Wash U, 12/8/02

31 Theo Powell, Carthage, 2/7/04

31 Mike Wilson, North Central, 2/25/04

30  Jason Sibley, Franklin, 3/7/98

30 Drew Carstens, Augustana, 1/9/02