Former University of Oxford Lacrosse Club defender and men’s captain Abdul El-Sayed has become the first Muslim-American, first Egyptian-American, and surely first Oxford Men’s Lacrosse Club alumni elected to the United States Senate after victory in the mid-term elections on Tuesday.
With 98% of the votes counted, El-Sayed, who represents the Democratic Party, has won over two and a half million votes, 300,000 more than his nearest rival, Mike Rogers of the Republican Party.
After being introduced to lacrosse while at school in south-east Michigan and continuing to play through to university where he represented the University of Michigan’s Wolverines, El-Sayed spent a year in Oxford during 2010/2011 after receiving a Rhodes Scholarship following the completion of an undergraduate degree in biology and political science.
As Michigan’s first Rhodes Scholar since 2004, El-Sayed attended Oriel College where he completed a Doctor of Philosophy in public health alongside his efforts on the lacrosse field.
Despite earning the prestigious full blue status from Oxford for his athletic acheivement, he memorably picked up a yellow card in the 2011 varsity final versus Cambridge that his team eventually lost 14-9.
He did pave the way, however, for an incredible 13 years without defeat for Oxford against Cambridge in the annual varsity competition between 2012 and 2024.
El-Sayed will officially assume office in the United States Senate on 3 January 2027.