Mearns back behind the bench as Canada seeks to defend men’s lacrosse world title

OTTAWA — Randy Mearns will return as head coach when Canada defends its men’s lacrosse world title next year in Israel.

The Canadian Lacrosse Association announced Tuesday that Mearns will be behind Canada’s bench at the 2018 FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship in Netanya. Mearns led Canada to gold at the 2014 world championship.

“I am thrilled and humbled to have once again been selected as the head coach of the Canadian senior men’s national field team,” Mearns said in a release. “I would like to thank the Canadian Lacrosse Association and the national team executive for this incredible honour.”

Mearns, a native of St. Catharines, Ont., has been involved with the Canadian national team program for the past 30 years.

Mearns was a player on the silver medal winning team at the inaugural FIL U19 World Championship in 1988 in Adelaide, Australia, and also suited up for the senior team in 1998 in Baltimore, where he captured another silver.

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He made the jump to the coaching ranks a decade later, serving as an assistant coach with the senior men’s field team at the 2006 and 2010 world championships, winning gold and silver, respectfully. He was promoted to head coach for the 2014 world championship, where his team defeated a heavily favoured U.S. squad to win gold.

“We are excited to have Randy return as Canada’s head coach,” saud Dean French, chairman of the national team program. “His leadership at the world championships in 2014 was one of the reasons Canada brought home the gold medal.”

The Canadian Press