BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — For Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse freshman Alonso Morales, playing for Team Mexico was bigger than the sport itself, it was about family. Morales found his place with Team Mexico this past summer at the Pan-American Men's Lacrosse Championship in Kingston, Jamaica.
Before he competed with Team Mexico, Morales almost didn't join the team. He was coaching with his brother and a couple of friends, who played for Team Mexico, that brought the idea up to him. Morales did his research and found the senior national team. A text to the coach from his friend and an hour and 30 minute phone call later, Morales found himself at tryouts.
"I was really aiming to be the 22nd guy," Morales said.
Morales, a native of Round Lake Beach, Ill., credited his introduction to the sport to his older brother, Andres, who played for the Green and White from 2023 until 2026.
"He put the stick in my hand and it all started as a 'go try it out.'" Morales said. "I fell in love."
Morales always looked up to his brother which made his decision to come to Illinois Wesleyan to follow in his footsteps easier.
"Being able to grow up in the program and seeing how it's shaped my brother, it definitely made the decision easier," Morales said. "He said it's all on you and whatever you do I'm proud of you, but I didn't know that I had my home right behind me. Ever since I've stepped on campus, I've felt at home."
Only 22 men were selected to join the Mexican senior national team for the Pan-American Championship this past summer. Amongst the 50 best players who tried out, Morales was one of the 22 selected.
"It wasn't about lacrosse, it was about family and growing the game even bigger than it is now," Morales said. "As someone who's Hispanic playing the sport, it's definitely different. You're also playing against the best of the best, and then you tell yourself you really are the best because you are playing against the best."
The Pan-American Championship took place across seven days in August 2026 where nine teams competed to qualify for the 2027 World Lacrosse Men's Championship in Tokyo, Japan. Only the top-five qualifying teams will compete in the 16-team field.
Team Mexico played Team Canada on day one of competition where they fell 19-2. Mexico would bounce back on day two with a crucial win over the U.S. Virgin Islands, 19-7. Over the course of the championships, Morales and Team Mexico would drop its match against top-seeded Haudenosaunee, but found a must-win match over Team Argentina to play in the third-place game.
Team Mexico played Team Puerto Rico for the last qualifying spot into the 2027 WL Men's Championship. Mexico led 8-6 with 22 minutes left, but Puerto Rico found a late fourth quarter comeback to oust Mexico 9-8 to claim the last spot. Morales finished the tournament with one assist and appeared in all five games.
Despite the loss in Jamaica, Morales said being a part of the team helped him grow more not as a player, but as a person.
"Being able to see all types of people who play lacrosse in another country opens your eyes," Morales said. "It has made me realize you can do anything you put your mind to."
Morales and Team Mexico will return to play next summer in Poland to compete in Olympic qualifying, but for now Morales looks forward to his first collegiate season at Illinois Wesleyan. As he follows in his brother's footsteps, Morales hopes others can soon follow in his.
"Seeing someone like him on the field has made me try harder and that's the reason why I keep playing because I had that person I looked up to," Morales said. "Hopefully, people can see me and look up to me to see that I want to be better than him, better than them. Be the future of what's next."
Morales' collegiate career officially kicks off in January. The full men's lacrosse schedule will be released on iwusports.com later this fall.
