BALTIMORE — US Lacrosse today named the 23 players that will represent the United States in the 2008 International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) Under-19 World Championship. The 2008 U.S. Men’s U-19 team was selected by the 24-person Player Selection Committee following the July 12-15 tryouts at UMBC.

"It works itself out after you have that many sessions," said Jake Reed, chair of the Player Selection Committee, which included representatives from 16 states. "The cream does rise to the top. They’re all great players, but we were looking for the ones that stepped up above everyone else. I think we have a great team."

"You try to make sure you have enough of everything: guys who feed well, who catch well, who handle the ball well, guys who can get out and play pole for you, middies who can defend and the like," said Chuck Apel, head coach of the 2008 U.S. Men’s U-19 team. "You have to make sure you have defenders. You have to be aware of all of that and keep the team balanced as you go through the process. I think the selectors did a great job with that."

The roster (below) includes 16 recent high school graduates, five rising high school seniors and two current collegians. The 23 players hail from seven states. US Lacrosse invited 120 players to the tryouts. Those not selected are considered alternates for the team. The ILF U-19 World Championship is set for July 3-12, 2008, in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

"There were so many talented kids. You’re splitting hairs at the end," said Apel. "We all have the same interest at heart: to pick the best team so we can win the championship. It’s tough. There were a lot of great kids that didn’t make it, but overall, it’s a fair process."

Apel, the head coach at Bridgewater (N.J.) High, is assisted by coaches Tim Flynn (Mountain Lakes, N.J.), Kevin Giblin (Georgetown Prep, Md.) and John Nostrant (Haverford, Pa.). Tom Flately of Floral Park, N.Y., serves as the team’s general manager. The US Lacrosse Men’s Division National Teams Committee administers the selection and preparation of national teams that compete for ILF senior-level and U-19 championships.

Also at the tryouts, 24 officials from the U.S. were evaluated for four positions in the 2008 ILF tournament. Those four officials appear below.

2008 U.S. Men’s U-19 Team
Name - Pos - Hometown - High School - College
Robert Boyle • D (Atlantic Highlands, N.J. Lawrenceville ’07) Georgetown
Shamel Bratton • M (Huntington, N.Y. Huntington ’07) Virginia
C.J. Costabile • D (New Fairfield, Conn. New Fairfield ’08)
Matthew Dolente • M (Phoenixville, Pa. Malvern Prep ’07) Johns Hopkins
Tim Donovan • M (Parkton, Md. Loyola Blakefield ’07) Johns Hopkins
Craig Dowd • A (East Northport, N.Y. Northport ’06) Georgetown
Nicholas Elsmo • M (Edgewater, Md. Severn ’07) Virginia
Peter Fallon • D (Baltimore, Md. Gilman ’07) Brown
Tyler Fiorito • G (Phoenix, Md. McDonogh ’08)
Adam Ghitelman • G (Syosset, N.Y. Cold Spring Harbor ’07) Virginia
Dean Gibbons • A (Garden City, N.Y. Garden City ’07) Harvard
James Green • M (Doylestown, Pa. Central Bucks East ’06) Ohio State
John Lade • D (Randolph, N.J. Randolph ’07) Villanova
Matthew MacKrides • A (Newtown Square, Pa. Malvern Prep ’08)
Thomas Malphrus • D (Chevy Chase, Md. Georgetown Prep ’07) Virginia
Jack McBride • A (Madison, N.J. Delbarton ’07) Princeton
Anthony Mendes • M (Chapel Hill, N.C. East Chapel Hill ’07) Maryland
Max Schmidt • D (Columbus, Ohio Upper Arlington ’07) Maryland
Brian Shemesh • M (Hillsborough, N.J. Immaculata ’07) Rutgers
Steele Stanwick • A (Baltimore, Md. Loyola Blakefield ’08)
Justin Turri • M (West Islip, N.Y. West Islip ’07) Duke
Joel White • M (Cortland, N.Y. Cortland ’07) Syracuse
Ryan Young • A (Manhasset, N.Y. Manhasset ’07) Maryland

U.S. Officials Selected for 2008 ILF U-19 World Championships
Don Balch, Vero Beach, Fla.
Rob Gross, Buffalo, N.Y.
Tim Howard, East Rochester, N.Y.
Sean Murphy, Londonderry, N.H.

STX is the exclusive official equipment and apparel sponsor of the US Lacrosse Men’s Division National Teams Program. For more information, visit www.stxlacrosse.com.

US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the national governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse. To learn more, visit www.uslacrosse.org.