Born and raised in Vernon, Ryan Landels will be throwing on the green and yellow of Australia, to represent the country at the World Box Lacrosse Championships.  

Landels grew up in Vernon, but has become an Australian immigrant, after having moved there in 2021.

The 31-year-old played for the Vernon Junior Tigers program as a youth, before moving for competition in Port Coquitlam and Edmonton. 

A lacrosse die-hard, according to his father, Wes, Landels has been playing the sport since he was young. 

"He's played in Junior B nationals, Junior A nationals, and played in six national field championships from the time he was 15 to 19," Wes said. "He has always played."

Landels played post-secondary lacrosse for the Bryn Athyn College Lions in Pennsylvania and competed for the field national team in Australia, but 2024 will be the first time on the box lacrosse national team.

The World Championships will be played from Sept. 20-29 in Utica, New York, with 28 teams participating. 

Australia is ranked ninth in the world, with Canada, Haudenosaunee and USA having been the top three teams respectively in the past five world championships. 

Australia is in a pool with Hungary, Puerto Rico and Slovakia. 

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