Hampton pair playing lacrosse on international stage

Former Hampton lacrosse star Emi DiLiberto figured she had nothing to lose when she reached out to the Argentina women’s national team in spring 2024.

Then things got loco.

“It’s a crazy story,” DiLiberto said. “My father found a contact form online. We filled it out and laughed it off. We were not expecting a response. I got an email the next day.”

One thing led to another, and DiLiberto, a 2023 Hampton graduate, found herself playing lacrosse on the international stage representing the South American country that her late maternal grandparents called home.

DiLiberto, entering her junior year at Division III Vassar, represented Argentina at tournaments in May and June, and she will play next summer in the world championships in Japan.

The 20-year-old midfielder helped Argentina to its first 32-team Heritage Cup title, capped by an 8-4 victory over Wales in the finals May 26 in Boston.

One month later, DiLiberto played a key role in Argentina’s fifth-place finish at the 2025 Pan-American Women’s Lacrosse Championship on June 26-30 in Auburndale, Fla. By placing in the top five, Argentina qualified for the 16-team World Lacrosse Women’s Championship on July 24-Aug. 2, 2026, in Tokyo.

“It was incredible,” said DiLiberto, who scored six goals in five Pan-Am games. “I’m loving the challenge of playing at the international level.”

DiLiberto isn’t the only lacrosse player from Hampton representing another country while competing in international play.

Mike Kistler, a 2024 Central Catholic grad from Hampton, has been invited to play with the Switzerland U20 national team. Kistler, whose ancestry on his father’s side traces to the Swiss, will return to Europe this fall for a major U20 tournament. During a trip to Switzerland this past spring, the 19-year-old played four games with the Bern Titans of the Swiss Men’s League and practiced with the men’s national team.

“Never would I have thought I’d be playing lacrosse in another country, let alone for a team in Switzerland,” said Kistler, a rising sophomore at Division II Florida Southern. “I was shocked. First off, I’m playing lacrosse in Switzerland, and now I’m getting invited to play for the U20 team and play on a worldwide stage. I’m still kind of in shock by it.”

Both DiLiberto and Kistler were noticed by their respective countries’ lacrosse teams thanks to a bit of happenstance.

During her freshman 2024 season at Vassar, DiLiberto played well in a game against Endicott. It turns out Endicott assistant Nico Prandi is Argentina’s national coach, and DiLiberto happened to submit her online form shortly after that game.

Prandi invited DiLiberto, one of the most prolific scorers in Hampton history, to attend a friendly competition in August 2024 in Baltimore.

“Those few friendly games were kind of like a tryout,” DiLiberto said. “I was definitely very quiet showing up in Baltimore. I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t know anyone. … (Those games) did a lot to prove to me that I can play at this level. I belong here.”

Kistler’s path to international play was also quirky.

He had sent a highlight video to Bern before a visit to Switzerland in spring 2024, which helped him land a spot on the team. Then, this past May, Kistler’s Bern Titans played the Zurich Lions in a playoff game. Turns out the Swiss U20 national coach, Brandon Kunich, plays for Zurich as well as the men’s national team. Kunich knew the U20 team could find a place for Kistler, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound defender.

“My game against him was my tryout, you could say,” Kistler said. “Afterward, he said I pretty much have a spot on the team.”

DiLiberto will miss Argentina’s next big competition, the Pan-Am Sixes Cup on Dec. 10-14 in Puerto Rico, because she is studying abroad this semester at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. But she is planning to play in the world championships next summer in the light blue and white colors.

“It means everything to get the opportunity to play with this high-level competition,” she said. “Not only to represent a country, but to represent my family and my extended family who take great pride in being Argentinian. My grandmother passed away a few years ago. But I know she would be completely thrilled.”