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Canisius head men's lacrosse coach Mark Miyashita (left) and defenseman Alexis Simard (right) are shown in game action in these undated photos
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Men's Lacrosse

Simard, Miyashita to Represent Team Canada at Pan-American Championship

Recent Canisius graduate long-stick midfielder Alexis Simard '26 and current men's lacrosse head coach Mark Miyashita '03 will represent Team Canada at the inaugural Pan-American Men's Lacrosse Championship, scheduled for Aug. 16-23 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Canada is in Pool A along with Argentina, the Haudenosaunee Nationals, Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Pool B consists of Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the United States.

The event serves as a qualifier for the 2027 World Lacrosse Men's Championship in Japan with the top five teams representing the Pan-American region for next year's championship. An additional four teams will earn qualification for the WL Men's Championship Division II.

A four-year member of the program, Simard capped his career by earning All-MAAC First Team distinction in 2026 after starting all 13 games played. The team's leader with 20 caused turnovers, Simard ranked second on the team with 31 ground balls and finished with career highs in goals (5) and points (6). The Terrebonne, Quebec, product wrapped up his career as the program's all-time leader in caused turnovers with 58.

Miyashita, meanwhile, continues his partnership with Lacrosse Canada that has seen him serve as an assistant coach at multiple international events. At the 2018 FIL Men's World Lacrosse Championship, Miyashita worked with fellow Canisius Hall of Famer and Team Canada head coach Randy Mearns to help guide the Red and White to a second-place finish at the 46-team event held in Netayna, Israel. Miyashita reunited with Mearns and Team Canada for the 2023 FIL Men's World Lacrosse Championship, helping lead them to a silver medal finish in San Diego, Calif.

He has also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Lacrosse U-20 Men's Championships helping the Red and White claim a silver medal in Limerick, Ireland in 2022 before capturing Canada's first gold medal at the event with a thrilling one-goal victory over the defending champion USA last August in Jeju Island, South Korea.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Simard

#22 Alexis Simard

LSM
6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Alexis Simard

#22 Alexis Simard

6' 1"
Senior
LSM