This past summer, senior midfielder Christopher Crapanzano, of The University of Scranton men’s lacrosse team, had the opportunity to play for Team Poland at the World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship.
Crapanzano’s mother was born in Poland, which presented Crapanzano, a native of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with eligibility for dual citizenship, and the potential to represent the country at the Championship.
The tournament was hosted by Ireland Lacrosse at the University of Limerick from Aug. 10-20, 2022, and featured 23 teams that were split into five pools during the group stage of the tournament.
Team Poland finished in 21st place and notched a total of four victories, with two wins over Uganda, as well as victories over Kenya and Chinese Taipei.
“A couple of years back, I reached out to the Polish Lacrosse Federation and was able to attend a few of the local tournaments that they had in the United States with the local Heritage teams,” Crapanzano said. “It kind of took off from there, and I ended up playing on the U21 team this summer.”
Crapanzano scored five goals in the tournament over eight games and also registered 17 ground balls. He scored a hat trick in Poland’s 17-2 victory over Kenya during group play.
Though the primary focus of the trip was lacrosse, the senior Finance major also got the chance to explore the city of Limerick.
“I was able to travel throughout the city of Limerick, and see the main downtown area, as well as some of the historical castles,” Crapanzano said. “It was just unbelievable.”
Prior to the tournament, Crapanzano had met only a few teammates, because most were native to Poland. He met the entire team just before the first game against China on Aug. 12.
The team also stayed in dorms at the University of Limerick, which featured cottage-style housing and seven to eight students per space.
“We may not have known each other personally at first, but the biggest thing we had in common was the sport of lacrosse -- having the ability to play catch with each other, laugh and have a good time,” Crapanzano said. “The friendship and camaraderie existed from day one. No matter the outcome [of the tournament], we meshed as a team and, by the end of it, we each had 24 or 25 brothers.”
Still in touch with his teammates via social media platforms, Crapanzano received an invitation to represent Team Poland at the 2023 Men’s World Championship in San Diego from June 21 to July 1.
