Potomac residents and brothers, Damon and Dylan Hsu, have returned from Limerick, Ireland, where they competed in the U21 World Lacrosse Championship last month for Team China. While lacrosse is in the developmental stage in China, according to the NCAA, it has been one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. for the past 15 years. It is also a mainstay of Maryland youth and college sports.
The Hsu brothers began playing at local recreational clubs around the age of 8. They were soon playing on school and travel teams, and each played four years of lacrosse at Georgetown Prep. Scott Urick, Prep's varsity head coach, says “Damon and Dylan were integral parts of their respective teams at Prep. Damon was a Senior Captain, and Dylan played a vital role in our IAC Title run in 2021! I’m proud to have coached Damon and Dylan.”
The boys secured two of the highly coveted roster spots for China after participating in the North American tryouts. They then trained with teammates in Towson, Md. in July before heading to Dublin for another week of training before the tournament. The brothers’ participation on the team proved invaluable. Brendan Mullin, Team China’s Head Coach, said, "We're super excited to have Damon and Dylan with Team China for the Men's U21 Lacrosse World Championship. Both players are dynamic offensive threats who bring a wealth of experience and lacrosse knowledge to the team. We are proud of the way they have stepped into mentorship roles for some of our players who are newer to the game of lacrosse.”
Damon, wearing #88, was named to the World Lacrosse President’s Team, made up of the 10 best players at the tournament outside of the Blue Division (5 teams including USA and Canada). According to China Lacrosse, “he was an absolute force on the midfield for Team China all tournament long, racking up 18 goals and 7 assists over the course of the tournament.” Dylan, an attackman wearing #1, placed second on the leaderboard with 20 goals/16 assists, the highest number of assists out of the entire tournament. China finished the tournament with an overall record of 6-2.
In addition to playing the sport they love and traveling for international competition, Dylan and Damon have higher aspirations for China Lacrosse. Ultimately, they hope to bring greater exposure to the Chinese people and demonstrate that lacrosse is not limited to certain communities or stereotypes. Truly, they want to show that there are people all around the world who can enjoy and appreciate the sport.
These days you’ll find Damon playing as a junior for Lehigh University and Dylan, a sophomore, playing for Amherst. Next steps for the brothers and Team China include a qualifier round in Korea this fall, and hopefully the men's world championship next summer in San Diego. Keep a lookout for these two as they acomplish great things!