BEVERLY, Mass. – Former Endicott men's lacrosse student-athletes Chris Janelle '14 (Falmouth, Maine) and Artemio Sison III '15 (Sterling Heights, Mich.) helped the Philippines National Lacrosse Team to a 10th place finish at the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championship in Netanya, Israel from July 12-21.
The Philippines battled a tough schedule which included wins over No. 6 Scotland, No. 14 Czech Republic, No. 15 Switzerland, No. 18 Italy, and No. 27 Belgium. Unfortunately, the Philippines National Team's historic top-10 run came to an end with an 8-5 loss to eventual No. 9 ranked Germany on Friday, July 20 in the ninth place game.
"The Endicott men's lacrosse program constantly reminded us at the end of every practice and game that we were family; a mindset that I believe made a large contribution to our success," said Sison III. "When we broke down our first huddle during the Philippines Lacrosse Team tryouts by yelling 'Kapamilya on three' - which means family, in Tagalog, one of the main languages of the Philippines - I knew this was an opportunity I needed to be a part of. I am extremely grateful for the way us 23 guys came together as a family to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time."
Endicott men's lacrosse head coach Eric Hagarty '10, M'11 spoke on the accomplishments of Janelle and Sison, saying, "We are all very proud of the work that Chris and [Arte]Mio have done with Philippines Lacrosse. That organization has done some amazing work the last several years leading up to their debut in the FIL World Championships. They are ambassadors of the game and have put in a great deal of time helping grow the sport. To cap it all off with a top-10 finish in the world is truly amazing."
Janelle and Sison III, both midfielders on the squad, logged time in all seven games, and guided the team's transition play (rides/clears), while Sison netted one goal on three shots and scooped up four ground balls.
This year's international tournament incorporated 46 teams from across the globe, making it the largest lacrosse event of all-time. The championships were broadcast on all ESPN platforms making it the most accessible lacrosse event of all-time.
More on the Philippines Lacrosse National Team
Lacrosse was first introduced to the Philippines in September 2013 and with the development of pioneer programs, the Philippines received the honor of becoming the 50th member nation of the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). Four years later, the Philippines Lacrosse Association is now ready to field its first National Team in the World Lacrosse Championships.
The goal of participation in the World Lacrosse Championships is not only to compete and represent the Philippines in international competition, but also, more importantly, it's to raise awareness of the PLA's mission and vision with the world lacrosse community and help bridge the gap between the PLA's pioneer programs in the Philippines and lacrosse played at its highest level internationally.
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(Photo Credit - Artemio Sison III '14)