For first-year men’s lacrosse player Bleyton Hopps-Thompson, competing in the 2025 World Lacrosse Championships meant more than just representing his team — it meant representing his people.
Hopps-Thompson competed with the Haudenosaunee National team in South Korea, placing fourth in this year’s U20 World Championships.
The Haudenosaunee National team represents the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which is composed of six independent Native American sovereign nations — Seneca, Tuscarora, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk.
Hopps-Thompson is from the Saint Regis Mohawk nation, a territory that includes upstate New York, Quebec and Ontario.
“It was honestly the biggest honor I could have ever felt being able to represent my culture and my people,” Hopps-Thompson said. “I dreamt of that ever since my dad first put it in my head, because he actually went to the same tournament when he was my age.”
Lorraine White, Hopps-Thompson’s aunt and a sitting board member of the Haudenosaunee National team, said lacrosse is more than just a sport to all Haudenosaunee people.
“We are not the originators of this game as much as we were given the game of lacrosse by the Creator,” White said. “Instead of going to war, instead of battle, the game of lacrosse was recognized as a way to resolve our differences, the way of bringing good medicine to all of our people.”
White said that although the sport of lacrosse originated with the Haudenosaunee people, being able to represent their nation can be difficult both nationally and internationally.
Hopps-Thompson said his teammates knew what was at stake at the tournament, which made their experience in the competition even more special.
He also said his older teammates on the Lehigh men’s lacrosse team have been curious about his experience as an Indigenous lacrosse player.
He said they make an effort to ask what the game means to him, and he hopes to share his knowledge about the meaning of the game with all of his competitors.
“The game of lacrosse was gifted to us by the Creator, not only as a means of entertainment, but as a means of resolving disputes and obtaining peace in those disputes,” White said. “This was the original form of alternative dispute resolution.”
Hopps-Thompson said during his first visits to Lehigh’s campus, he felt like it was a good fit for him.
Matthew Licciardi, the assistant coach for Lehigh men’s lacrosse, said Hopps-Thompson has been a trailblazer throughout his Lehigh journey.
“He’s still young in his career right now, continuing to build relationships with the guys around him,” Licciardi said. “He’s already started to make an impact on the group, just giving everyone perspective on what the game should mean.”
Licciardi said the older players being interested and willing to go out of their way to educate themselves and learn more about the culture behind the game gives the coaches pride.
Looking ahead, White said the Haudenosaunee National team hopes to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“They are serving as our representatives to the world and are our ambassadors,” White said. “They are sharing with the world what it means to be a Haudenosaunee person who has the privilege of playing the Creator’s game, while also having knowledge of the origins of the Creator’s game.”
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