Landon’s Lacrosse International history now includes Jamaica

Landon legendary teacher and 15 Bears have played at International level

Lacrosse is increasingly an international sport. The 2028 Olympics include this competition created by the Haudenosaunee nation and Canada’s national sport. This summer 20 national teams will assemble for the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 ChampionshiponAugust 15–24 in Seogwipo, on Jeju Island, South Korea. The primary venue for the event is the Gongcheonpo Training Center.

This trend has early origins, years of participation and current player all found at the Landon School. History first—the 2028 LA lacrosse games actually follow 1932 exhibition games at which Landon legendary teacher/mentor/coach/administrator William Harrison Tripplett, Sr. played.

In the intervening years, a number of Bears have played in the World Championships

NameTeamAwards

Ryan Curtis             United States 19-Under team (1996)           Gold Medal winning team

Pete Lamade           United States 19-Under team (2003)           Gold Medal winning team

Erik Vachon             Finland’s National Team (2003 – 2006)

Ryan Curtis             Team USA (2006)                                   Silver Medal winning team

Tony Vita                 Denmark (2004 – 2010)

Ian Healy                 Scotland (2010)                                      All President’s Team honoree

Brendan Healy        Scotland (2010)                                      All President’s Team honoree

Luke Howard           United States 19-Under team (2012)           Gold Medal winning team

Dave Taylor             Belgium (2014)

Josh Offit                 Israel

Mark Findaro           Mexico

JT Mathura              Jamaica

This practice of allowing US players to participate on other countries teams was initiated to help other countries benefit from the highly trained dual citizens. JT’s selection is the 8^th Bear to share his knowledge of the sport with his teammates.

The most recent Bear to earn a spot on a national team, the Jamaican team, is a current Landon Student, JT Mathura. His family travels a lot and that exposure has heightened his interest in the world. He also is a talented two sport athlete at the Bethesda boys school.

His interests go beyond the athletic fields. First and foremost, almost all free hours are committed to Landon’s rigorous academic requirements. After practices and studies, he is the President of the Landon Capital Management club- a student organization with $100,000 that they invest with the support of a teacher and investment professional (also a retired Landon and college lacrosse player).

JT’s grandmother is the basis of her grandson’s dual citizenship

and his grandfathers have been frequent supporters of JT at his games.

After joining  the U20 JA National Team in September, JT has  had many team meetings, much fundraising, and multiple practice sessions. He was an important part of Landon’s nationally ranked lacrosse team. His talents were sufficient that Division lax powerhouse, Johns Hopkins University, offered him a commitment over a year ago. One of his fellow Green/Black/Gold teammates is going to Yale. Jamaica is returning to this year’s competition having achieved a top ten rank at the last championship.

The team heads to LA for a brief training camp on August 8 and then flies to Jeju Island on August 12.  The schedule has been released and they play England on 8/15, Korean on 8/16 and New Zealand on 8/19 in pool play. 

Sports are an integral part of Landon’s curriculum because it is a powerful opportunity to get practical lessons in fair play, sportsmanship, competition, discipline, and loyalty. Using athletic prowess to be exposed to other countries and players from around the is consonant with those pedagogical principles. JT goes to South Korea with a predisposition to acquire insights about cultures around the globe as well as the chance to see a fascinating Asian country.

🇰🇷 The 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship will be held from August 15–24 on Jeju Island, South Korea, featuring 20 national teams divided into five pools. Here’s the full list of participating countries:

PREVIEW

🥍 Pool A (Top 4 from 2022)

• 🇦🇺 Australia

• 🇨🇦 Canada

• 🟫 Haudenosaunee

• 🇺🇸 United States

🌍 Pool B

• 🇬🇭 Ghana

• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, China

• 🇯🇵 Japan

• 🇳🇱 Netherlands

🌏 Pool C

• 🏴 England

• 🇯🇲 Jamaica

• 🇰🇷 Korea (host)

• 🇳🇿 New Zealand

🌐 Pool D

• 🇨🇳 China

• 🇮🇪 Ireland

• 🇮🇱 Israel

• 🇲🇽 Mexico

🌎 Pool E

• 🇩🇪 Germany

• 🇰🇪 Kenya

• 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

• 🇹🇼 Chinese Taipei

Each team will play three pool games, with the top teams advancing to playoffs. The event marks the first time the U20 championship is held in Asia since 1996.