Four Mariners to Play in Prague Cup

Four members of the Mitchell College men's lacrosse team will be competing in the 2014 Prague Cup this summer as a part of USA Athletes International.

Demetre Lyras, David Klapp, Wayne Brookbanks and Maxx Crowley will spend 10 days in the Czech Republic while taking part in the Prague Cup, one of the longest-running lacrosse tournaments in continental Europe. The 2014 Prague Cup runs from June 27-29 and will feature six teams in the men's division.

The first two days of the tournament features pool play in which all teams will play five games. The final day is reserved for elimination play, with the top two seeds receiving byes to the semifinals. The team left standing at the end of the day will be declared the winner of the 2014 Prague Cup.

The tournament features three teams from the Czech Republic—including the national team—as well as two from the United States and one from Great Britain.

All four Mariners accepted invitations from the USAAI to take part in the tournament. The USAAI provides overseas playing opportunities for athletes and supports a total of 15 different sports that compete in 25 different countries throughout the world.

Lyras, a two-time New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, led Mitchell in scoring and ground balls in 2014. The senior midfielder finished the year with a team-high 38 points on 31 goals and seven assists and added 64 ground balls.

Klapp played in all 16 games and ranked second on the team in scoring with 29 goals and eight assists for 37 points. He recorded a goal in all three league games and finished with totals of five goals and three assists for eight points in NECC play.

Crowley and Brookbanks each started all 16 games and were the foundation of the Mitchell defense. Crowley led the Mariners with 28 caused turnovers while Brookbanks ranked second with 17, and the two finished with 58 and 42 ground balls, respectively.

All four players were named to the NECC All-Conference First Team in 2014 while helping the Mariners (8-8 overall, 3-0 NECC) repeat as NECC champion. Mitchell also qualified for the ECAC New England Division III Championship for the third time in four seasons.