LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Before Bellarmine University resumed classes today, lacrosse players Christian Della Rocco and Aidan Fearn completed long overdue assignments--playing in the World Lacrosse Men's U-21 Championship in Limerick, Ireland.
 
The U-21 (under 21) Championship was long overdue because it was initially supposed to be the U-19 (under 19) championship, but it was delayed because of COVID-19 and to give the same players the opportunity to play, the age limit was increased by two years.
 
Both players represented themselves, Bellarmine, and their respective teams quite well in the championship, which was played Aug. 10-20.  Della Rocco competed for the Netherlands team and led the tournament is scoring with 25 goals and 13 assists.  Fearn, meanwhile, helped lead the Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) Nationals to a bronze medal finish.
 
Della Rocco, an attackman from Westfield, New Jersey, qualified to play for the Dutch team due to his ancestry.  Now a junior at Bellarmine, his performance at the World Championship earned him a spot on "The President's Team" and grabbed the attention of Inside Lacrosse, who named him "one of 15 college players we're watching. Said IL of Della Rocco: "An absolute nose for the goal, leading the tournament in points (25G, 13A). He put up goals galore, but his feeding was just as impressive for the Dutch. Della Rocco took over in crunch time, like two goals and an assist in the final quarter of a comeback win over China."
 
Fearn, a faceoff specialist from Toronto, served as a captain for the Haudenosaunee Nationals, who beat Australia 10-6 in the bronze medal game.  In that contest, Fearn went 17 of 18 in faceoffs while also scoring a goal and adding an assist to help lead his team to the win.  Fearn, now a sophomore at Bellarmine, also qualified through his ancestry to qualify for the Haudenosaunee team.  The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is made up of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas and was founded by the prophet known as the Peacemaker with the help of Aionwatha, more commonly known as Hiawatha.
 
More than 500 athletes representing 23 team competed in 86 games over 11 days from Aug. 10-20 at the tournament with Team USA besting Canada in the gold medal game.