Two students from Pocatello, Idaho, are playing for the Riverhawks men’s lacrosse team.
AJ Herdt, a first-year transfer studies student, and Tristan Giesbrecht, a first-year cybersecurity student, are longtime best friends who committed to start with the Riverhawks in fall 2024.
“We’re just super happy to have them,” men’s lacrosse head coach Jeremy Ross said. “They’ve been very great for us. … They’re good kids, and we couldn’t be more excited that they chose to come play here.”
Herdt said he is excited as well.
“I have fallen in love with this area,” Herdt said. “So I think I’m definitely leaning towards staying here for a good while, whether it’s continuing another year here, or just settling down here for a few more years for college.”
Herdt said AACC recruiters saw a video he posted on a recruiting site for athletes looking for colleges and invited him to relocate.
For Giesbrecht, the Riverhawks were the only ones to make an offer.
“I decided I had to take the [junior college] route for lacrosse instead of applying to four-year [schools],” Giesbrecht said. “And there’s not really any JUCO lacrosse schools in Idaho. So me and my buddy both got offered to come out here, and we’re like, ‘Yeah, might as well.’”
Living in Maryland, added Giesbrecht, an offensive midfielder, “isn’t bad. We have been best friends since sixth grade. So it’s not really any different.”
Herdt, an attacking midfielder, and Giesbrecht live in an apartment together in Glen Burnie.
Herdt said he has enjoyed playing for the Riverhawks, despite some disappointing results in the season.
“The season hasn’t been what I wanted it to be, but that’s the reality when you have such a young team, and sometimes things just don’t go how you think,” Herdt said. “But coach Ross and the coaches here have really surprised me, like, I’ve never had coaches like this in my life. … They’ve given me inspiration. Coach Ross is a role model for me.”
Giesbrecht agreed, adding his teammates “are a great bunch of guys, and I’ve enjoyed playing with them.”
Giesbrecht ended the men’s lacrosse regular season with one goal. Herdt finished with 11 goals and two assists.
