FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse Associate Head Coach Andy Whitley and rising junior Bill McMenamin will compete in Netanya, Israel beginning July 12 for the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships. Whitley will coach Puerto Rico in the World Championship while McMenamin will suit up for Ireland's National Development Team in the Elite Open Men's Festival.
 
"Bill and Coach Whitley are both great representatives of Fairfield University and our program as competitors and as people," said Head Coach Andy Copelan. "This tournament is an important event for the global growth of our sport, and I'm thrilled that Fairfield Lacrosse will be represented."
 
Whitley, who has been with Fairfield Men's Lacrosse since the 2010 campaign, is an Assistant Coach for Puerto Rico, which is playing in its inaugural FIL World Championship with games against Wales (July 13) and Bermuda (July 14) on the slate. Should the team advance out of pool play, they will challenge the winner of the pool featuring New Zealand, Spain, and Croatia in the first round of the single-elimination tournament to determine the 2018 FIL World Champion. The Puerto Rico roster includes student-athletes from Albany, Duke and Maryland.
 
In addition to his Associate Head Coach responsibilities at Fairfield, Whitley has overseen the Stags' goalkeepers and faceoff specialists. In this role, he has mentored four student-athletes to all-conference honors: ECAC Goalkeepers of the Year and current MLL goalkeepers Charlie Cipriano (2011, 2012) and Jack Murphy (2014), 2015 CAA Rookie of the Year and two-time All-CAA faceoff specialist Will Fox, and three-time All-CAA goalkeeper Tyler Behring.
 
More than 160 games throughout the FIL World Lacrosse Championship are scheduled for broadcast on ESPN+ with 14 contests to be televised on ESPNU and ESPN2. In addition to his coaching duties, Whitley will be a part of ESPN's broadcast team as an analyst.
 
McMenamin has trained alongside the Irish National Team and will be a part of the National Development Team in Israel. The Development squad will compete in the Elite Open Men's Festival in Netanya.
 
McMenamin made his collegiate debut with the Stags in 2018, taking the faceoff dot in four games with 10 total faceoff wins. He also distributed an assist in the clash with Penn State on March 17 at Rafferty Stadium. He will take the field for Ireland alongside his cousin, Michael McMenamin, who previously played four seasons in the defensive midfield at Wagner College.
 
Updates throughout the FIL World Championship are available at worldlacrosse2018.com and on Twitter at @FILacrosse. Stags' fans can also follow Coach Whitley on Twitter at @CoachWhitLax for updates from Israel.