June 17, 2005

College Park, Md. - Senior attackman Joe Walters was among the 23 players selected to the U.S. National Team that will represent the United States in the 2006 International Lacrosse Federation World Championship, U.S. Lacrosse announced yesterday. The Rochester, N.Y., native is the only current college player to make the roster.

"This is such an honor for me," said Walters. "To make this team and represent the U.S. is special. I look at the rest of the guys on the team and they're players that I've looked up to, so it's an honor just to make the squad."

"We're really excited about Joe making the U.S. team," said Maryland head coach Dave Cottle. "As a fan it is easy to appreciate the skills that he possesses."

Walters has led the Terps in scoring in each of his three seasons in College Park, including 53 points this past season on 38 goals and 15 assists to lead Maryland to the NCAA Final Four. During the 2005 season, Walters became just the 14th player in Maryland men's lacrosse history to score more than 100 goals in his career and is currently tied for sixth on the school's all-time goal scoring list with 117, just 32 shy of Matt Hahn's school record of 149 goals.

A 24-person player selection committee, chaired by past U.S. Team goalie Larry Quinn, named the 2006 U.S. Men's Team after a four-day, 120-player tryout at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County that concluded on Thursday, June 16. A record number of 18 teams will head to Canada for the ILF Championship in July 2006 in London, Ontario. The U.S. has won eight of the nine ILF World Championships contested, including six straight.

The U.S. roster includes 10 former U.S. Team players-seven players from the 2002 U.S. Team that won the world championship in Perth, Australia and three players from the 1998 U.S. Team that won the title in Baltimore. Twenty-one of the 23 players selected are on Major League Lacrosse rosters.

2006 U.S. Men's Lacrosse Team Name (Pos, Current Team, College)
Ryan Boyle* (A, Philadelphia (MLL), Princeton '04)
Kevin Cassese* (M, Rochester (MLL), Duke '03)
Roy Colsey (M, Philadelphia (MLL), Syracuse '95)
Christian Cook (D, Baltimore (MLL), Princeton '98)
Ryan Curtis (D, Boston (MLL), Virginia '00)
John Gagliardi (D, Long Island (MLL), Johns Hopkins '97
Chris Garrity (G, Boston (MLL), Penn State '03
Kyle Harrison (M, New Jersey (MLL), Johns Hopkins '05
A.J. Haugen (M, Long Island (MLL), Johns Hopkins '00
Jay Jalbert (M, Long Island (MLL), Virginia '00
Pat McCabe# (D, Long Island (MLL), Syracuse '91
Blake Miller# (M, Long Island (MLL), Hofstra '96
Nick Polanco (D, Long Island (MLL), Hofstra '02
Casey Powell# (A, Rochester (MLL), Syracuse '98
Michael Powell* (A, Baltimore (MLL), Syracuse '04
Ryan Powell (A, Rochester (MLL), Syracuse '00
Todd Rassas* (D, Capital LC (USCLA), Notre Dame '98
Doug Shanahan* (M, Philadelphia (MLL), Hofstra '01
Matt Striebel* (M, Philadelphia (MLL), Princeton '01
Kyle Sweeney (D, Philadelphia (MLL), Georgetown '03
Trevor Tierney* (G, Baltimore (MLL), Princeton '01
Scott Urick (A, New Jersey (MLL), Georgetown '00
Joe Walters (A, Univ. of Maryland, Maryland '06

* - Member of 2002 U.S. Team
# - Member of 1998 U.S. Team

Head Coach: John Desko (Syracuse)
Assistant Coaches: Mike Caravana (Woodberry Forest), Matt Kerwick (Hobart), Scott Marr (Albany)