Twin sophomores Brett and Bryant Schmidt have been welcome additions to a Mount St. Mary's team battling with Marist and Siena for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and top seed in the league tournament.
Brett Schmidt, an attackman, ranks second on the team in points (24) and third in goals (11), while Bryant Schmidt, a midfielder, ranks third in points (22). Both Schmidts lead the Mountaineers in assists (13).
The Schmidt twins drew the interest of Johns Hopkins, Navy and Towson when they were playing for St. Mary's-Ryken, but Brett Schmidt said they were influenced by their older brother Justin, a junior long-stick midfielder at Mount St. Mary's.
"My older brother Justin was already at Mount St. Mary's, and he loved Mount St. Mary's, the lacrosse there and coach [Tom] Gravante," Brett Schmidt said. "Me, my dad and Bryant sat down and talked about it, and we decided to go to Mount St. Mary's. We love Coach Gravante. He's a great coach, and we thought that was the best place for us. I've loved it. I'm glad I made this decision. It's perfect."
Gravante returned the love, saying, "They've just elevated the offense. They're tremendous athletes who could play in the top 20. There were some nice schools interested in them, and they chose to follow their big brother Justin, who is our starting long-stick midfielder and a junior here. And it's just a true blessing to have all three boys here."