Jan. 15, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
University of Maryland senior midfielder Adam Sear was among the 23 players selected to the Australian National Team that will compete in the 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championships.
From the Australian Lacrosse Association:
Following an intensive weekend of trial games and physical testing, the Australian National Lacrosse Team, The Sharks, has been selected. A trial squad of 33 players from around Australia have been working for almost seven months for the opportunity to represent their county at the Championships, with only the best of the best making the final cut.
The selected 23 man team will compete against the world's best in Manchester, England, in July, in what is expected to be the biggest World Championships to date, with 31 Nations competing for the title.
Sharks Team Manager, Greg Hamilton, said the team is a good mix of experience and youth. "The average age of the players is around 26-years-old, the selected players provide an even mix of success from three States, 10 from Victoria, seven from South Australia and six from Western Australia."
Australia will compete in the Blue Division challenging the top ranking teams, including USA, Canada, England, Iroquois Nations and Japan. Australia is currently ranked third in the world behind the USA and Canada respectively.
"This is the highest level of lacrosse a player can achieve in Australia," said Sharks' Executive Director, Rod Sear.
"The squad will challenge every team with the motto `to beat the best you have, to be the best you can'," he said.
Lacrosse is a growing sport in Australia and across the world, with almost 4,000 men and women involved in the sport in Australia. The USA is rapidly approaching 1 million players alone.
The following players have been selected in the team :
Gareth Allen
Alex Brown
Glenn Morley
Jimmy Watson-Galbraith
Sam Williams
Adam Sear
Anson Carter
Ross Hamilton
Jason Mackinnon
Stephen Mortimer
Leigh Perham
Will Pickett
Brad Sheldon
Sam Bullock
Jacob Egan
Matt Garnsworthy
Ryan Garnsworthy
Marty Hyde
Steve Mackey
Darren Nicholas
Keith Nyberg
Rob Stark
John Tokarua
Alternates:
Blair Bentley
Michael McInerney
Ryan Spark
Adam Townley
