This summer, St. Bonaventure's Brady Wijbrandts will trade in his Bonnies brown and white as he dons the orange of the Netherlands at the 2023 World Championships in San Diego.

Wijbrandts, a senior in his fourth season with St. Bonaventure, earned a roster spot with the Dutch National Team through a tryout earlier this month in Croatia. He is one of 23 players to make the final roster for the World Championships which are scheduled from June 21-July 1.

"It was very intense," Wijbrandts said of the tryout camp which included two practices each day for five days prior to returning stateside for the spring semester. He also was making the transition from the defensive midfield where he plays at Bonaventure to an offensive role with the Netherlands squad.

"I was playing more offense, so that was an adjustment at first, but I played offense in high school and was able to get back into the swing of things," he said. "The hardest part was learning the names of everyone but after awhile it all clicked."

Getting named to the World Championships roster was a multi-year process for Wijbrandts.

 

He was born in the Netherlands and his father's side of the family still calls it home. Wijbrandts has dual citizenship and he visits the country each year despite calling Arizona home now.

Three years ago, he went to Amsterdam to try out for the European championships, but ultimately couldn't play due to the pandemic. He kept in contact with the Dutch national coaching staff and received the invite to try out in January.

A total of 42 players started in the tryout process before an initial cut down to 29. Wijbrandts is one of 23 players to make the final cut for the national team roster.

"I am really excited to be able to represent the Netherlands, my heritage, and part of who I am," he said. "The experience of being able to represent a country is such a cool honor."

Wijbrandts has been a key part of the Bonnies' ascension in the Division I ranks in recent years. Last year, he set the program record and ranked sixth among all MAAC players for groundballs and also was one of the conference leaders in caused turnovers. He also added a pair of goals and six points after playing in all 15 games last season as the Bonnies reached the MAAC Championship Game. In the past three years, he's logged 85 groundballs and 32 caused turnovers in 31 career games.

"We talk about goals and dreams a lot and realizing those dreams is an incredible experience," St. Bonaventure head coach Randy Mearns said. "We're so proud of Brady's daily efforts for three and a half years that have now culminated into a selection to the Dutch National Team. He's earned the right to play in the biggest lacrosse event ever."

While his role with the Netherlands will be a bit different from his position with the Bonnies, he says that collegiate experience will help both himself and his teammates this summer.

"One of the biggest things was I was able to help some of the Dutch guys with defense. It was nice to be able to help some teammates with certain skills, just knowing the game a different way from playing college in America," he said.

As an added bonus, for the first time ever, this year's championships will be played in California – just a five-hour drive from his home in Arizona.

"One of the most exciting things is being able to have everyone who has supported me growing up be there this summer with the Dutch National Team," he said. "Experiencing a different culture of lacrosse and how the game is played differently around the world will be really cool. Our goal is to be top 10 in the world. Right now, we're ranked 15^th. There are a lot of great countries that have held those spots for awhile, but we think we can do that."

 

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