MISSOULA — The University of Montana hurling team will defend its national championship Saturday and Sunday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

The Grizzly team includes Butte natives Matthew Larson, Tanner Sholey and Jobyna McCarthy.

Hurling — or iomáint in Irish — is the national sport of Ireland, described as a mix of lacrosse, field hockey and baseball. Hurling is more than 3,000 years old.

The University of Montana hurling team was founded in the fall of 2013 when Naoise Waldron from Kilkenny, Ireland, arrived in Missoula to teach Irish as a Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant.

In May 2014, the team went to Gaelic Park in New York and brought home the national title from the National Collegiate Gaelic Athletic Association Hurling Championship.

This year’s event in Missoula will be the fifth NCGAA Championship, and the Grizzlies are looking to be the first team to win back-to-back titles.