Anne Arundel Community College attackman Sam Weisshaar has beend named the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, it was announced recently. Weisshaar, who led the nation in points, goals, and assists, was also named All-MDJUCO along with six teammates.
Weisshaar led the nation in goals (42), assists (36) and points (78), averaging six points a game throughout the season. The attackman had at least two points in all 13 games this season, posting a career-high 13 points at Potomac State on April 7th with five goals and eight assists. He also recorded two or more goals in all but two of 13 games this season, including a nine-game streak to close out the year.
Joining Weisshaar on the first team is faceoff specialist Mark Kelm. Attackman Trevor Collier, defensemen Brandon Grusholt and Mike Rogers, as well as goalie Conner Westervelt earned second team accolades. John Thibodeau was named to the honorable mention team.
Kelm was the Riverhawks' top faceoff specialist, winning 147 of 263 draws in 13 games. Kelm scored a highlight-reel goal just six seconds into the game against Delaware Tech on March 23. He assisted a pair of goals on April 11 against the College of Southern Maryland. Later that month at Carroll College, Kelm won 23 of 26 faceoffs, a career best.
Collier ranked third in the NJCAA in points (53) and fourth nationally in goals (36) despite playing in just 11 games. He earned NJCAA player of the week honors on April 11th after a monster 17 goal, 16 assist performance in three games the week before. Collier scored five goals and added an assist against then No. 2 Harford – the best single-game performance by any player against the Owls this season.
Grusholt and Rogers anchored the Riverhawks' defense, and both created success on the offensive end of the field. Defensively, the pair helped AACC to lead the nation in caused turnovers; Grusholt ranked second on the team with 18 and Rogers ranked third with 14. The duo's efforts on the ground led AACC to the top ranking in the country; Rogers corralled 34 groundballs and Grusholt recorded 19. Offensively Grusholt scored four goals and Rogers potted two.
Westervelt started 11 games this season, posting a 5-5 record between the pipes. He made a career-high 17 saves in his AACC starting lineup debut on March 27 and recorded five double-digit save games in the year. His 85 total saves placed Westervelt fourth in the nation.
Thibodeau ranked second national in both goals scored and points, netting 38 goals and 19 assists for 57 points. The attackman recorded a season-high 10 points at Potomac State on April 7, scoring seven goals and assisting three others. On the season, Thibodeau recorded multiple goal games on nine occasions.
AACC closed out the season at CCBC Essex in the NJCAA national tournament quarterfinals. The Riverhawks had advanced to the NJCAA national tournament for the first time since 2017.