Long Beach State University Athletics
Seven Beach Players Represent Long Beach State On International Stage
9/8/2026 9:38:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Seven members of the Beach competed with senior, U23 and U21 national teams during a successful summer of international competition.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Seven members of the Long Beach State men's volleyball program represented the Beach at the senior, U23 and U21 national team levels this summer, highlighted by international medals for Jackson Cryst and Daniil Hershtynovich.
Cryst helped the United States capture gold at the 2026 NORCECA Men's U21 Pan American Cup in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The 6-foot-10 middle blocker scored 10 points on nine kills and one block while hitting .818 in the United States' 3-0 victory over Canada in the gold medal match.
Cryst, who also helped the United States earn bronze at the 2025 U21 World Championship and gold at the 2024 U21 Continental Championship, was joined in the U.S. Men's U21 National Team program by Myles Jordan and Lucas Helle. Jordan and Helle participated in the team's training block and were listed as alternates for the Pan American Cup roster.
Jordan previously competed for the U.S. U19 National Team at the 2025 U19 World Championship and helped the United States win the 2024 U19 Continental Championship. Helle represented the United States at the 2025 U19 World Championship.
Hershtynovich and Owen Weekes represented Canada at the senior national team level after being selected to the country's 2026 Volleyball Nations League roster.
Hershtynovich continued his international season at the Men's Pan American Cup, helping Canada finish 5-1 and earn their second consecutive bronze medal. Canada defeated host Mexico 3-1 in the bronze-medal match in Morelos, Mexico. Hershtynovich recorded one of the tournament's top individual scoring performances with 17 points against Puerto Rico.
Hershtynovich went on to earn a silver medal with Canada at the NORCECA Men's Final Six after Canada fell to the United States 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-21) in the championship match.
Kellen Larson and Jake Pazanti were among 20 athletes selected to the 2026 U.S. Men's U23 National Team training roster. Larson, a 5-foot-9 libero from Irvine, Calif., and Pazanti, a 6-foot-3 setter from Huntington Beach, Calif., will train from Aug. 23-30 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Following the training block, 14 athletes will be selected to represent the United States at the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup, which will be held Sept. 20-28 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Larson is one of eight athletes on the U23 roster with previous USA Volleyball age-group national team experience, while Pazanti is making his first appearance with a U.S. national team.
"Our LB Family spent the summer competing against the best in the world and having success in each age group," Long Beach State head coach NickMacRae said. "Jackson, Daniil, Owen, Kellen, Jake, Myles and Lucas all represented our university through the senior national teams, U23 and U21 teams across the board.
"These experiences are amazing for them as they have all set out on a quest toward Olympic goals in the future, and I am excited for how they bring their experiences back to us to immediately raise the level in our own training gym. Even more so, I love how they get to join our LB Legends through the process, too. We got to see them join in the gyms with TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing, Mason Briggs, Shane Holdaway, Skyler Varga and Coach David Lee, to name a few.
"Seeing our guys continue to take steps toward their future goals makes our entire Long Beach community so proud of them and is yet another reason why our LB Family is so special."
