Towson Connection Between Drenner, Weisshaar Driving Bonds at Sixes Camp

SPARKS, Md. — During a cloud-covered Tuesday morning at the U.S. men’s Sixes training camp at USA Lacrosse’s Tierney Field, Ryan Drenner fired a cross-field feed to Mikey Weisshaar, who burned his mark and buried a slick finish. While he instantly tracked back on defense, Drenner couldn’t help but smile.

“Mikey is a fantastic player,” Drenner said. “This is the first time I’ve had the chance to get to know him a little bit. … It’s really special to see more Towson Tigers out here repping the USA. He’s got a great motor, a great pop. He’s super shifty and a lefty that can catch and finish just about anything.”

The score signaled a newfound connection between Towson All-Americans nine years apart in terms of graduation year. Drenner, a member of the Tigers’ class of 2017, has garnered Premier Lacrosse League All-Star honors on four occasions.

Now, Weisshaar is a program centerpiece at Drenner’s alma mater, where he received a first-team All-CAA midfield spot this past season. The left-handed Arnold, Md., native also helped Towson secure its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019.

“He’s one of those guys who started the Towson [program] I can remember,” Weisshaar said of Drenner. “He went on that final four run that we talk about all the time at Towson. Playing with him, seeing his skills and how good he really is in person firsthand is amazing.”

In an era defined as a youth movement within USA Lacrosse, Weisshaar and Virginia attacker McCabe Millon are the two youngest players at Sixes training camp.

“Just super humbled and honored to be here,” Millon said. “To be out here with guys I’ve watched on TV for a long time — I remember Ryan Drenner working camps when I was in fifth and sixth grade … and it’s really cool to be out here on the same field. There’s so many unbelievable players out here.”

But Weisshaar, the rising junior, and Millon, the rising sophomore, have certainly carved out their place among the game’s best.

The duo faced off throughout their respective MIAA careers, with Weisshaar shining at Archbishop Spalding and Millon making McDonogh a mainstay atop the league’s table. Though they tended to cross paths in consequential postseason matchups, Weisshaar and Millon finally donned the same jersey once camp began Monday.

As luck would have it, the two sharpshooting college stars who combined for 127 points in 2024 wound up just one locker apart.

“We’ve been chatting it up, and he’s a great guy,” Weisshaar said of Millon. “I love being around him — love playing with him and against him.”

While Weisshaar and Millon have forged bonds, the two said they’ve leaned heavily on veteran peers who’ve trodden a similar path. Millon has former college teammate Connor Shellenberger in his corner, while Weisshaar played alongside Nick DeMaio for two seasons.

Both pointed out Drenner as a role model to emulate.

With prior Sixes and U.S. program experience and a lengthy professional resume, Drenner said he’s embraced a leadership role in the opening sessions.

The 6-foot midfielder capable of wreaking havoc with both his left and right hands added that this week’s camp has been “fantastic” toward his mentorship of younger teammates.

“I try to help those younger guys out that don’t have a lot of experience playing this discipline, understanding it’s a lot of fun but you have to be really efficient,” Drenner said. “You want to be loose, have a good time, play fast and play free, but you gotta take care of what you’re doing both on the offensive side and the defensive side.”

For Drenner, few accolades rival the feeling evoked whenever he suits up for the U.S.

“It’s the honor of a lifetime,” Drenner said. “As a little kid, you look up and want to play in the final four, and you want to play in the professional ranks, but international play is really the peak — the pinnacle — of lacrosse. It’s a great opportunity to compete for what will help our country be successful at the 2028 Olympics.”

With lacrosse’s inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics just over four years away, Drenner and Millon both cherish the potential to partake in a groundbreaking moment in the game’s growth.

For now, they’ll look to apply lessons learned from Sixes training camp once they return to their respective campuses for fall ball.

“The more of just playing at this super level of high speed, that’s just going to be able to make decisions even quicker next year,” Millon said. “Playing against a bunch of these goalies last year and getting to see [them] again is huge.