Final Roster for MNT Jr Team for 2022 NACHC Championships
by Matthew Collins
The 14 athletes that will represent the U.S.A. at the IHF Trophy North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) Junior Team Handball Championships have been selected.
Final Roster (name, club)
Goalkeepers
Mahmoud Mohamed Elwi Hashim, Arab Contractors Sporting Club
Camron Hicks, Army West Point
Wings
Lennox Loetzke, ASV Suchteln
Evan Gordon, SV 64 Zweibrucken
Loic Karrer, Antibes Handball
Gary Phillips, Army West Point
Backs
Pedro Gomez de Santiago Gosalbez, Club Balonmano Bacovi
Elliot Robertson, Lodde Vikings HK
Nepomuk Grabner, UHK Krems
Charlie Harper, Ohio State University
Jakob Rysgaard Christiansen, Ajax Copenhagen
Mark Miller, Army West Point
Pivots
Samuel Proctor, Army West Point
Connor Reed, Carolina Team Handball Club
The Junior IHF Trophy and NACHC Team Handball Championships will be taking place in Mexico City, Mexico from December 12-17. The other teams that will be competing in the tournament are Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Greenland, Mexico, Martinique, and Puerto Rico.
Among the 14 athletes are 6 players (Camron Hicks, Gary Phillips, Charlie Harper, Mark Miller, Samuel Proctor, and Connor Reed) who play their club handball domestically at universities across the country.
When asked about his thoughts about the upcoming tournament, Head Coach Danilo Rojevic said, "This year's IHF Trophy will be a qualifier for next year's IHF Junior World Championships, jointly organized in Germany and Greece. I don't hide that our goal is to reach the world stage, as it should always be, however, it will be an immensely challenging task putting a brand new team together in a record time while facing the toughest of competition from teams like Cuba, Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and many others."
"The ambition remains the same: the US must be a reference in the North American continent. In the long run, US handball must transition from being an emerging handball nation to becoming a more stable handball center of excellence that qualifies for all the major international events across all age groups."
Rojevic brings a wealth of knowledge as he has coached San Francisco CalHeat, with whom he has won the last two US National Championships and the 2021 Club Continental Championship.
Assisting Rojevic on the coaching staff is Tomasz Morawski, Senior Men’s National Team Athlete Ty Reed, and Julio Sainz. Krista Austin will serve as the Team Manager and Madeline Iswalt will be the medical provider for the athletes.
Stay tuned to USATH social media for updates on the team’s performance in their quest to qualify for the 2023 IHF Junior World Championships.
Read More#
SF CalHeat Competes at IHF SuperGlobe; Wins First Ever Match for North American Club
Eighteen Players Selected to Represent the United States at 2025 IHF Men's Handball World Championship
Seeking World Championship and IHF Intercontinental Phase Berth, Junior MNT Roster Selected as Squad Prepares for IHF Trophy
NACHC Beach Handball World Championship Qualification Tournament on Horizon, WNT Roster Announced