BALTIMORE – US Lacrosse has announced that five players with Cornell ties –
Ryan McClay '03, Mitch Belisle '07, Matt McMonagle '07,
John Glynn '09 and
Max Seibald '09 - have been selected to try out for the 2010 U.S. men's lacrosse team that will compete in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship in Manchester, England from July 10-24, 2010. The tryouts will be held from June 7-10, 2009 at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.
Nearly 200 players submitted applications to be considered for the tryouts and the pool was narrowed to 84 by the U.S. Men's Team Player Selection Committee.
"These are players who have shown that they can compete at the highest level and win championships, and that's what we're trying to do," said Larry Quinn, chair of the player selection committee.
Following the tryout weekend, the group will be trimmed to approximately 40 players that will compete in three training weekends during the fall of 2009. After those three weekends, the roster will be cut to the FIL-mandated size of 23 players.
McClay, an alternate on the 2006 team, was a member of the 2002 US team that won a gold medal in Australia. Following the championships, he was named the Most Valuable Defenseman as the youngest player on the U.S. team. One of only two four-time All-Americans in Cornell history, McClay was a first-team selection on defense as a junior and senior. A first-team All-Ivy selection in both 2002 and 2003, he was also named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2003. McClay was the No. 5 selection by the New Jersey Pride in the 2003 MLL Draft.
Belisle, the 2007 USILA's Schmeisser Cup winner as the nation's outstanding defenseman, was a two-time All American. He was a first-team selection in 2007 after leading the fifth-best defense in the nation and routinely covering the opposition's most dangerous offensive threat. A two-time first-team All-Ivy pick, Belisle started every game during his final three seasons and averaged 34 ground balls per season, including 42 in his senior year. Following graduation, Belisle was taken in the second round of the 2007 Major League Lacrosse Draft with the 12th overall pick by the L.A. Riptide and was the first overall true defenseman taken in the 2007 National Lacrosse League, selected by the N.Y. Titans.
The 2007 USILA's Kelly Award winner as the nation's outstanding goaltender and the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, McMonagle was a three-time All-America selection at Cornell and finished his senior season ranked third in the nation with a .616 save percentage and fifth overall with a 7.03 goals against average. McMonagle was a three-time All-American, a three-time first-team All-Ivy pick and graduated as the winningest goalie in Cornell history. A Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, McMonagle owns the school record for single-season goals against average (5.73 in 2006, third in NCAA history) and stands atop the school's career goals against average list (7.27, third in NCAA history). Following graduation, the MLL's Long Island Lizards selected McMonagle with the 10th overall pick.
Seibald, a three-time All-American, is also a three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, becoming only the eighth player in Cornell history to earn that distinction. He was named to the 2008 Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award, Division I Player of the Year Watch List after finishing the year ranked second on the team with 27 goals and third overall with 33 points. A two-way player with tremendous speed and strength, he registered his 100th career point last season. He holds the longest point scoring streak on the team, and currently has the third-longest point scoring streak in the country, having registered at least one point in the past 36 games. Seibald became the first Big Red men's lacrosse player to be named a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy, doing so as a sophomore in 2007, making him one of only five sophomores in the history of the award to be named a finalist.
Glynn, a two-time second-team All-America selection, is also a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection and finished the 2008 season ranked second on the team with 44 points off 18 goals and a team-best 26 assists. Glynn took over the majority of the face-off duties last year for the Big Red and proved to be one of the best in the nation, ranking third in the country with a .679 win percentage. Glynn also ranked ninth in the nation with 5.47 ground balls per game and 17th overall with 1.67 assists per game.
