Secore, Hill named to Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse sixes coaching staffs
Mohawk Mountaineers lacrosse sixes head coach Andy Secore has been named to the Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s coaching staff, while assistant coach Travis Hill has joined the women’s coaching staff at the 2026 Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championship in Oshawa, Ont.
The championship is underway in Oshawa and runs through Oct. 4, featuring men’s and women’s national teams from across the Pan-American region.
“I was offered the opportunity and jumped right on it,” said Secore. “You look at the Olympics as being a priority for any athlete or coach, and anytime you can have an opportunity to represent your Nation, it’s a dream come true.”
The tournament marks the first official stage of the qualification pathway for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The top five men’s and women’s teams will advance to the 2027 World Lacrosse Sixes Championships, which will serve as the primary qualifier for the 2028 Olympics.
Hill joined the Mountaineers coaching staff this season, but has worked closely with Secore for several years.
“What a small world, right? We both get this opportunity and we’re working from the ground here at Mohawk,” said Secore.
Secore has been part of the Mohawk lacrosse sixes program since its creation in 2023. He is also an assistant coach with the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League and has played an integral role in developing the sport at Mohawk and helping establish it within the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA).
The Mountaineers spent their first two seasons as an independent program, competing in exhibition games against Ontario university teams and local senior club teams. In 2024, Mohawk played in the inaugural Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association Sixes Showcase against the Milton Chaos before returning in 2025 and defeating the Humber Hawks, who became the second Ontario college to announce a lacrosse sixes program.
This summer, the OCAA announced lacrosse sixes as an exploratory sport, with Durham and Fleming joining Mohawk and Humber as the four colleges with programs.
The OCAA launched an exhibition season in 2026, with the opening competition taking place last weekend in Etobicoke, Ont. Mohawk is the only team to remain undefeated after its first two games, defeating Humber 14-9 and Fleming 22-6.
“This has been the goal for Mohawk since day one - to get lacrosse sixes to a varsity class in the OCAA like the other sports,” said Secore. “The college and administration have done a great job of getting the sport where it needs to be.”
Lacrosse sixes is a discipline of the sport that has grown rapidly around the world. The format was developed to increase accessibility, foster competitive balance and reduce the cost and complexity of participation and event staging.
Unlike traditional field and box lacrosse, sixes features six players per side and a 30-second shot clock. Games consist of four eight-minute running-time quarters on a 70-by-36-metre outdoor playing surface.
The International Olympic Committee approved lacrosse sixes for inclusion at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2023. The OCAA subsequently became the first known collegiate conference in North America to review the discipline for varsity status.
“When we get older and look back at it, it’ll be memories forever,” said Secore. “Even the student-athletes being a part of it, this will always be special to them.”
The four OCAA schools have three competitive dates remaining on the 2026 schedule: Oct. 18 at Durham, Oct. 25 at Fleming and a championship day on Nov. 1 hosted by Mohawk.
The OCAA will review the success of the exhibition season at its directors’ meeting in December to determine the discipline’s potential to become an official varsity sport.
As of publication, the Haudenosaunee men’s team is 2-0 at the Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championship, while the women’s team is 1-0.
About the Haudenosaunee Nationals
(source: Haudenosaunee Nationals)
The Haudenosaunee Nationals are the official international lacrosse program of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, representing the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora Nations. The Haudenosaunee are renowned as the originators of lacrosse. For thousands of years, the Medicine Game, or the Creator’s Game as it’s also known, has been a foundation of Haudenosaunee culture, gifted to the world and passed down through generations. Perennial medal contenders, the Haudenosaunee Nationals men’s and women’s teams consistently rank among the globe’s best by World Lacrosse, the sport’s international governing body. Beyond competing at the highest level, the Nationals continue to advocate for the inclusion and recognition of Indigenous nations on lacrosse’s global stage. Learn more at HaudenosauneeNationals.com.