HIGH POINT, N.C. – Sophomore Tyler Vogrig of the High Point University men's lacrosse team helped his U19 Canada West squad win the World Lacrosse Challenge in Six Nations, Ontario on Sept. 11-13.
 
"It was a great honor to represent your country," Vogrig said. "Playing my country's national sport and winning the title in Canada to earn my first world championship at 19-years old is one of the best experiences in my life."
 
High Point head coach Jon Torpey was proud to see the midfielder perform well at the highest level and is looking forward to his continued growth with the Panthers.
 
"Tyler is a great competitor," Torpey said of the Vancouver, British Columbia native. "I'm very glad that he had the opportunity to both represent his country and win a world championship."
 
Vogrig, who scored one goal in four games as a freshman at HPU in 2014, was chosen as a member of the team by head coach Greg Rennie. Rennie coached Vogrig in the intermediate league in 2012 and was responsible for picking the Canada West team – represented by British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
 
"Coach Rennie picked the best 21 guys from our region that he thought could win a championship and that's what we did" Vogrig said.
 
Serving as the team's captain, Vogrig played a huge role in leading Canada West to the title.
 
"After the round-robin part of the tournament we were tied with Iroquois West and Team Ontario, so we had to settle the top seed by a three-way shootout," Vogrig explained.
 
The HPU midfielder scored on both of his opportunities in the shootout to give his team the top seed. From there, Vogrig and the Canada West team continued on to win the championship.
 
"I think it's cool to play other teams from other countries to see how lacrosse is growing," Vogrig said of the World Lacrosse Challenge. "It was a great experience playing at the highest level and on a world stage. It was a lot of fun – the most fun I've had playing indoor lacrosse."
 
Vogrig will be back in the Purple & White this spring with the rest of the Panthers as they look to build on last season's run to the NCAA Tournament.
 
#GoHPU