7 LI Lax Players Make 2023 World Lacrosse Men's Championship Team

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island will be well-represented at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men's Championship, with seven players having roots in Nassau and Suffolk. The final will kick off June 21 in San Diego and run until July 1.

USA Lacrosse announced the 23 players to make the final roster this week.

“The character of these guys was beyond anything I could have imagined,” head coach John Danowski said in a statement.

"The meeting we had to make the selections was one of the most stressful things in my coaching career and the face-to-face meeting with the players was incredibly difficult. One of our assistant coaches was still shaking after the meeting. That’s how profound the effect they had on us.”

The roster includes six gold medalists from the 2018 U.S. team, four from Long Island: Michael Ehrhardt, Tom Schreiber, Jack Kelly and Rob Pannell.

Here are the seven Long Islanders who will represent the U.S. in the world championships.

Liam Byrnes, West Islip

Byrnes played at Marquette University and now plays in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) for the Waterdogs. Before his professional days, he helped West Islip High School win s county and a state title.

Michael Ehrhardt, Westbury

Ehrhardt is a Chaminade alumnus now playing professionally. He was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2018 world championship in Israel. He hails from Westbury and played at the University of Maryland.

Jack Kelly, West Islip

Kelly is a goaltender who played at Duke University. He didn't start in a game at West Islip High School until his senior year, but will now be heading to his second world championship.

Kieran McArdale, Ronkonkoma

McArdle, on the Waterdogs, is from Ronkonkoma and went to Connetquot High. He's the all-time leader in points, goals and assists at St. John's University.

Brennan O'Neill, Bay Shore

O'Neill, from Bay Shore, played at St. Anthony's and then Duke University. He made headlines when he committed to Penn State as an eighth-grader.

Rob Pannell, Smithtown

Pannell, a Smithtown native, is "one of the most decorated lacrosse players in Suffolk County, Long Island and American history." He played at Cornell, where he was the fourth top scorer in Division 1 history.

Tom Schreiber, East Meadow

Schreiber graduated from St. Anthony's and Princeton University. The East Meadow native was named PLL's midfielder of the year in 2019 and 2020 and now plays in Toronto.