Men’s Lacrosse: Tiffany and three former Hoos competing in World Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia men’s lacrosse head coach Lars Tiffany and three former UVA players in Zedd Williams (’17), Ryan Conrad (’19) and Charlie Bertrand (’21) are set to compete at the 2023 World Lacrosse Championships (June 21-July 1) in San Diego, California.

Tiffany was named head coach of the Haudenosaunee Nationals team (formerly Iroquois) on Nov. 1, 2022. A native of LaFayette, New York, Tiffany grew up near the Onondaga Nation reservation, where he was introduced to the game of lacrosse. He served as an assistant coach for the Haudenosaunee Nationals at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships in Israel and helped the team earn the bronze medal.

Joining Tiffany as a member of the Haudenosaunee Nationals is Williams, who played both attack and midfield during his time at UVA. However, at this year’s World Championships Williams will compete with a long pole. Upon graduating from UVA, Williams has enjoyed a successful stint in the professional ranks, including the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). In 2020, Williams led the Whipsnakes to a PLL championship and was named MVP of the Championship Series.

Representing the reigning world champions and top-seeded United States are Conrad and Bertrand, who kick off the World Championships on Wednesday when the U.S. takes on Canada. Opening faceoff is set for 10 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.

Conrad made his U.S. debut at the 2016 U19 World Championship in Coquitlam, British Columbia (Canada), where the United States won gold. He scored the game-winning goal to cap a dramatic comeback for the U.S. Conrad returned to the program helping the Sixes team win a silver medal at The World Games 2022, which was held in Birmingham, Alabama last summer. Conrad then aided the Waterdogs capture their first PLL championship on Sept. 18, 2022.

World Championships Schedule | Broadcast Schedule | Format and Progression

This year’s World Lacrosse Championships marks Bertrand’s first as a member of the United States. Bertrand won three NCAA titles during his collegiate career, two at Merrimack (2018-19) and one at Virginia (2021). He is the only player on the United States’ roster to have played for a non-Division I program. Bertrand currently competes for the PLL’s Redwoods and most recently the National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Las Vegas Desert Dogs.

This year marks the 14th edition of the men’s World Championships and features 30 teams vying for the sport’s biggest prize. Twenty teams earned their spot in the championships after the first-ever set of continental qualifiers over the past two years.

The United States is hosting for the fourth time having previously hosted in 1982, 1988 and 2014. The U.S. defeated Canada in the most recent championship – in 2018 – having scored the gold-medal-winning goal with one second remaining.

San Diego State’s newly constructed 32,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, opening game, semifinals, and medal games. Meanwhile, USD’s Torero Stadium (6,000) is slated to host a majority of featured tournament games. All remaining games will take place on SDSU’s campus among four adjacent fields, anchored by SDSU Sports Deck, the 1,500-seat home of the university’s soccer programs.

The 30 teams are split into six pools of five, with the top five nations in the rankings Pool A. The top two A pool teams will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the remaining three teams from the A pool will join the top nine teams from pools B-F (five first-place finishers and four second-place finishers) in the first round of the playoffs on June 27 to determine the remaining teams in the quarterfinals, which kick off on June 28. Full information on seeding, format and progression for pool play can be found here.