Braeden Weaver '21 Recruiting Profile

I came to lacrosse a little later than most of my teammates. Before lacrosse, I was a ranked competitive chess player and spent many years learning Tae Kwon Do (excelled at sparring)- eventually earning the rank of black belt. The strategy for chess and the mental and physical discipline of Tae Kwon Do have proven invaluable as a lacrosse player. I am passionate about playing defense because you must be tough, smart and strategic. My goals are to be the most dominate defender on the field, a strong leader, a reliable teammate, and the strongest communicator. My style is not big swinging Tomahawk checks- those are great for highlights but too low percentage. I work hard to dominate with great footwork, being in the right position and having solid technique.

As a freshman, I was the only freshman to make the varsity team as a defender. I was named the defensive player of the year by my coaches. While I appreciated this, I am humble- all this did was raise the bar and feed my drive to continue to improve. I have realized there will always be someone with more size or speed than me- I cannot control that, but nobody will outwork or out hustle me. I committed myself to the gym between my Freshman and Sophomore year and gained 20 pounds of muscle prior to my Sophomore season. My goal this year is to repeat this. This year as a Sophomore- I was the only non-senior to play close defense. I started every game and played every minute of every game (except in a blowout game where I played attack and scored). I work as hard in practice and between games, as I do in games and did not miss a single practice this year.  I was named to the 2nd All Conference team.  I also played Box Lacrosse for Blue Label and was named to the All Star team.

There have been several coaches/leaders that have helped me grow into the player/person that I am today. Their influence and guidance, and my willingness to be coached, is what has helped me become the player I am today and drives me to learn more. I work hard to ensure my teammates and coaches can always depend on me.

My current GPA is 3.3 and I just took a Pre SAT exam. I have known since a very young age (my Dad says I was born with a keyboard in my hand) that I would study Computer Science in college. My academic and lacrosse goal is to attend a college with a strong Computer Science program and play defense on a team with strong coaches and teammates- where I can continue to learn/grow while contributing as a great player and teammate.