Vazquez played for the Puerto Rican team
What are you doing next July?
Well, if you’re a fan of lacrosse, go ahead and pencil in this …. to watch the Lacrosse World Championships, which will be broadcast on ESPN, live from San Diego.
Why?
There’s a very high likelihood that Cornwall Central High School Class of 2022 graduate Tristen Vazquez will be playing on the Puerto Rican national team.
Tristen is just back from competing in the Pan-American Lacrosse Association (PALA) Games in Medellin, Colombia, from July 17-23.
His dad Jason, speaking to The Local this week, said it was a great experience. Tristen and his family — dad Jason, mom Grace and sisters Tiana and Trinity — live in New Windsor.
It all started when Tristen was invited to participate at the Heritage Cup Lacrosse Classic at Springfield College this past June. There, he again “had the great honor” of representing his native Puerto Rico in a lacrosse tournament where he competed against other countries at this national tournament.
While at the tournament, he was identified as a player that could help the Puerto Rican National Men’s Senior Team compete in the PALA Games.
The international tournament features South American and Caribbean teams competing in pool play as they try to qualify in order to compete in the Lacrosse World Championship — the games that will be played next summer.
While at the PALA Games, Tristen helped his team –which went undefeated — to win on a last minute goal, which earned them the gold medal and solidified them as tournament champs against the Jamaican national team.
Thus, the team’s ability to play in the world championships next summer. The tournament takes place every four years, and, as noted, the next championship will be played on U.S. soil in San Diego.
He’ll have to go through a secondary round of tryouts for the team, but because of his good performance this year, he’s expected to be on the team.
Tristen has big dreams when it comes to even more lacrosse in his future — in 2028, lacrosse will be entered into the Olympics and he’s hoping to be part of that Puerto Rican men’s team that will compete in those Olympics.
He’s a long stick midfielder and defender and at age 18 was the youngest on the Puerto Rican team this summer. He plays for that team because of his family’s roots in Puerto Rico — both sets of his grandparents were native to the island.
In the PALA Games, Tristen wore #20 to honor his older sister Tiana, who just played on the Women’s National Lacrosse Team that recently competed in the Women’s World Championship this summer. Her team ranks 11th in the world. She’s a senior at SUNY Binghamton. Their youngest sister, Trinity, is going into her senior year at CCHS.
The Vazquez children have all played lacrosse through the years, as well as other sports. Tristen had a short-lived football career as a child, but has also run cross country and track in the past.
He has played lacrosse year round in recent years with his travel team, NY Reign. This pastyear he was named defensive player of the year for the team, for the second time.
By the way, in case you can’t wait until next July to see him play, note that Tristen is committed to play lacrosse at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. He’s going into MSMC as an undeclared major.
