Zach Herreweyers Shooting For Success on the Field and in the Classroom

Zach Herreweyers

Shortly after receiving a full ride scholarship to the NCAA school of their choice, many young athletes might put the bulk of their focus on scoring goals and winning championships. Although Zach Herreweyers, an alumni of Wallaceburg Minor Lacrosse, wants to help his team win, he also is focused on what he calls the most important thing about his scholarship to Loyola University, getting a quality education.

“The one main thing I’m looking forward to is getting a good education and coming out of Loyola with a degree in the major of my choice.  Loyola has a very good academic reputation, so that is what I have my mind set on for now.”

In the process of choosing Loyola, Herreweyers had interest from 8 other NCAA schools including Penn State, Marquette, and UMass, however Loyola offered the best combination of education and athletics for the young field lacrosse player, who is looking forward to the jump to the NCAA and helping his team win.

“I can’t wait to play in the NCAA and have the chance to work towards playing for a national championship,” said Herreweyers. “Loyola has some of the nicest facilities in the NCAA and just recently built a brand new stadium which is only two years old, so I am definitely looking forward to playing in front of 9,000 people a game.”

In recent seasons, the Loyola Greyhounds have been in contention for a National title, making the national championship tournament in 2007, 2008, and 2010. Herreweyers, who is excited to take this jump, also recognizes the contributions his parents have made to allowing him to reach this point in both his athletic and academic career, including sending him to Hill Academy, a sport-centric private school, where he was a member of their field lacrossse team,

“It defiantly feels amazing. There are not many words to describe how good it feels to accomplish something like this. My parents gave me the opportunity to go a great high school which is for dedicated student athletes, so it’s nice to know that they don’t have to worry about paying for anything when I leave for Loyola.”

Herreweyers, who will now be shooting for an NCAA championship, has won at every level of lacrosse he’s played, including multiple provincial titles in Wallaceburg, and a National Field Lacrosse Championship as a member of team Ontario, but he says it was his time at Hill Academy that truly prepared him for a higher level of lacrosse and education,

“All my coaches at my school have been through the process and all went to top 10 schools, but also play pro now, so they definitely know how to get everyone on the team prepared and ready for the NCAA, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.”

Despite his successes away from Wallaceburg, Herreweyers recognizes the contribution the Wallaceburg Griffins organization made on his career, and he still holds many fond memories of his time in Wallaceburg,

“There are so many different memories I got to embrace while playing in Wallaceburg. One of the best memories I have playing for the Griffins was when I was a second year Bantam. We were a team that was not supposed to win anything all year, but we had lots of players step up in big games during provincials and surprised a lot of people there by winning ‘B’ provincals that season.”

“As a late starter in lacrosse, Wallaceburg has helped my career a ton. I was very lucky to be paired up with some great coaches that taught me how to play the game. Rick Brown, Jamie Knight and Marty Kenny were some of my coaches that really pushed me to be who I am today.”

From his time in Wallaceburg, to Hill Academy and Team Ontario, Herreweyers has accomplished much in the game of lacrosse already, but he is still driven to achieve even more on the field, and in the classroom at Loyola and following his NCAA career, which he’ll begin next fall,

“Every lacrosse player has a goal to play professional lacrosse one day, which is what I hope to accomplish next. But I also want to make sure I get a very good education when I finish my career in the NCAA at Loyola.”