Over the summer, Student Support Advisor and assistant lacrosse coach Will Haus, who also plays Major League Lacrosse for the Charlotte Hounds, was named an alternate before being called up to the travel roster to participate in the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship in Israel.
The tryout process for the national lacrosse team is a strenuous process that takes years. Malvern assistant lacrosse coach and middle school athletic director, Will Haus was named to the travel roster from an application pool of hundreds of players.
Prospective players go through multiple tryouts and training phases, where they are evaluated until the travel roster is filled.
“Everyone sort of applies for it and then people are selected from the hundreds that apply, where it gets down to 80,” Haus said. “Then there is a tryout process from there. Then from the 80 [players] it gets cut down to 44, which is the practice roster. And then from those 44 there was another tryout that was in January before this past summer down in Florida. And that was sort of just another training camp tryout session, and they made the actual travel roster from there.”
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“He’s just an extremely accomplished guy. But I think with his humility and his demeanor no one really knows just how accomplished he is. The world team is just one more feather in his cap full of them.”
–Head Coach John McEvoy[/perfectpullquote]
Haus was named to the team as a short stick defensive midfielder, a position that Malvern head lacrosse coach John McEvoy likened to an offensive guard in the NFL.
“They play more than really anybody does, it’s really valuable,” McEvoy said. “Everybody needs one bad, but no one really knows who they are. They don’t get paid a lot of money, but they’re really valuable. So that’s the role he plays.”
Haus had been playing in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) for the Charlotte Hounds after being selected with the 3rd overall pick in the 2015 MLL Draft out of Duke University, where he was a two-time national champion. He says the transition from the college game to professional lacrosse was a difficult one to make.
“I’d say the first tryout process coming out of college, where you’re used to practicing every day, to MLL, where you don’t, was the hardest part,” Haus said. “You don’t practice during the week, because everyone has jobs. So you show up to practice Friday night, and then have a game Saturday. And so that first tryout process was pretty difficult in terms of getting your body used to it, getting blisters all over.”
After a few seasons with the Charlotte Hounds, Haus began the tryout process for the national team, where he was named an alternate before an injury gave him a starting spot.
“Myself, I was the first alternate, so I didn’t make the original 23,” Haus said. “There happened to be an injury, and then from there, I was plugged into that first slot. So that was surprising, I didn’t expect someone to get hurt.”
Haus’s brother and MLL teammate John was also named to the U.S. travel roster to Israel. John attended the University of Maryland, where he was a three-time All-American midfielder.
“We played together in high school, he was two years older than me, and then we went our separate ways in college,” Will said. “Then we got back together in MLL, so it’s fun playing with him. Getting to play with him on that level, on that stage, it’s awesome.”
Haus described the experience in Israel as something he’ll never forget.
“Getting to know everyone on the team was awesome. Then there was the opening ceremony, where we played the first game against Iroquois that night, and we had a big crowd because everyone stuck around,” Haus said. “I’ll never forget coming out of that tunnel, and there’s fireworks shooting off, and they’re playing this techno club music, and I had no clue what was going on, so it was definitely a pretty unique experience.”
Haus now balances his job at Malvern with his lacrosse career – both for the national team and for MLL – and working towards his master’s degree in school counseling.
“It’s a lot, but at the same time I really enjoy everything I am doing,” Haus said. “I enjoy working here, working with you guys, working with all the kids, that’s fun to me. It’s almost easy. And then obviously I still enjoy lacrosse, it’s something I have a passion for, and until that passion runs out, I’ll continue to play, as long as my body lets me.”
McEvoy notes how humble Haus is, despite his long list of achievements throughout his lacrosse career.
“He’s just an extremely accomplished guy. But I think with his humility and his demeanor no one really knows just how accomplished he is,” McEvoy said. “The world team is just one more feather in his cap full of them.”
