By Paul McMullen
pmcmullen@CatholicReview.org
Twitter@ReviewMcMullen
Five men whose lacrosse careers include stops at Catholic high schools or colleges in Maryland are on the U.S. Men’s National Team that will defend its Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship.
Four made the final 23-man roster, and another will travel as an alternate to the tournament, which runs July 10-19 in Commerce City, Colo. Biographical capsules of the five follow.
Kevin Buchanan, Calvert Hall
Buchanan, 28, did not make the Cardinals’ J.V. as a freshman, but helped Calvert Hall to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title in 2003. After a standout career at Ohio State University, where he played for Loyola Blakefield grad Joe Breschi (now the coach at the University of North Carolina), Buchanan has become one of the top players for the Boston Cannons in Major League Lacrosse.
Kyle Hartzell, Archbishop Curley
Hartzell, 28, grew up in Dundalk and starred as an attackman for the Friars in the MIAA B Conference, but stops at what is now Stevenson University, Essex Community College and Salisbury University helped him develop into one of the game’s top defensemen. He plays for MLL’s New York Lizards, and last spring was the coach at Plano High in Texas.
Brendan Mundorf, Mount St. Joseph
Mundorf, who turns 30 July 27, grew up in Ellicott City and starred for the Gaels and then UMBC, where he scored 111 goals, led the Retrievers to the 2006 NCAA tournament and was a two-time America East Conference Player of the Year. He made the All-World team at the 2010 FIL championships, and was the MLL’s Most Valuable Player in 2012, when he played for the Denver Outlaws. He is in his second season with the Chesapeake Bayhawks.
Paul Rabil, DeMatha Catholic
Rabil, 29, played for DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, then became one of the game’s top midfielders at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The MVP of the 2010 FIL World Championships and the MVP of the MLL in 2009 and 2011, he teams with Buchanan for the Boston Cannons.
Steele Stanwick, Loyola Blakefield
Stanwick, 24, is an alternate on the U.S. team., and can be activated in the event of an injury. He led the Dons to the MIAA A Conference title in 2008, then led the University of Virginia to the NCAA title in 2011, when he won the Tewaaraton Award, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate player. He plays for the Ohio Machine in the MLL.
Also see: