LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine head lacrosse coach Andrew Whitley has once again been named as an assistant coach to the Puerto Rico Men’s National Lacrosse Team. He will serve under head coach John Raba and help lead the team in the World Championship of Lacrosse in 2022.
 
Whitley previously worked with the Puerto Rico National Team, helping it to an eighth-place finish in its first appearance in the World Championship in 2018.
 
“I’m very fortunate to be able to be part of the Puerto Rico National Team in 2022,” Whitley said. “Being a part of the 2018 quarterfinalist PR National Team will be one of my most treasured lacrosse experiences, and the chance to continue to be part of such a great organization and program is not something I could pass up.”
 
Whitley said the chance to work alongside Raba and assistant coaches Rick McCarthy and Connor Wilson was another key draw.
 
“The coaching staff is top notch,” Whitley said, “and I’ve had the privilege of getting to know all three 2022 staffers through my time at Wesleyan. The opportunity to work with John Raba again will be truly enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to getting to work on assembling the roster and the program for the 2022 World Games.”
 
The success of the 2018 Puerto Rico National Team surprised much of the lacrosse world in 2018. In fact, the Federation of International Lacrosse (now World Lacrosse) had to conduct an emergency meeting after Puerto Rico won its first five games to advance in the tourney. By rule, associate members of the FIL were not approved to compete for a medal, but Puerto Rico, an associate member, had earned that right with its success on the field. Therefore, the FIL board called an emergency meeting and approved Puerto Rico’s participation in the medal round.
 
“I’m excited to see if we can improve on our quarterfinal run of 2018, “Whitley said. “To advance is going to take a lot of preparation and I’m excited to get started.”