High School

Gerstell Academy's Tate Souder Commits to St. Mary's College of Maryland Lacrosse

The standout 2026 defenseman continues St. Mary's impressive MIAA recruiting streak under coach Jason Childs, joining a program with four straight United East titles and NCAA success

Al Franyo

Gerstell Academy's Tate Souder has committed to play his college lacrosse at St. Mary's College in Maryland, continuing a hot streak in successfully recruiting MIAA talent.
Gerstell Academy's Tate Souder has committed to play his college lacrosse at St. Mary's College in Maryland, continuing a hot streak in successfully recruiting MIAA talent. / Tate Souder

St. Mary’s College Emerges as a Top Destination for MIAA Lacrosse Talent

Throughout the years, when it has come to being successful in the recruitment of MIAA players, college lacrosse programs in the Maryland/DC region have, at least at times, taken turns in being the so-called "hottest" in that department. That said, at least for the past year or so, the program having probably the best results for commitments from such-student athletes is St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Tate Souder Helped Lead Gerstell Academy’s Rise Under Coach Ryan Drenner

St. Mary's, who is led by coach Jason Childs (a former MIAA competitor himself at St. Paul's), and who has done very well in its first four years as a member of the United East Conference, recently continued its strong current MIAA recruiting run with a commitment from 2026 Gerstell Academy defenseman Tate Souder. Souder recently announced that he will travel to beautiful and quaint St. Mary's City for his college days and be a Seahawk.  

Seahawks' NCAA Tournament Streak Attracts Top Talent Like Souder

Right now, Tate is a part of a Gerstell program which has had multiple good moments in Coach Ryan Drenner's first two years leading the Falcons. That includes appearances in the 2024 and 2025 MIAA B Conference Semifinals. Of course, Tate's future program has an impressive late-season streak of its own. Coach Childs' Seahawks are the winners of the past four United East Conference Tournaments. And, in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, St. Mary's won a game. 

Why Souder Chose St. Mary’s: Fit, Family, and Future

Tate says that, both his initial call with Seahawks assistant Tommy Rinder and spending time with Childs on campus convinced him St. Mary's would be a fine fit. Historically, the program is very competitive and plays a challenging schedule. Childs likes to "maximize" the schedule with games, which is also great. Another benefit is that Tate won't be too far from home, and his family can come visit and attend contests. In fact, the away matchups will be somewhat close by, too. In addition, being right on the water is wonderful. And last, but not least, by talking to the current Seahawks players, the culture seems amazing. They work hard and spend a lot of time together. 

Many congratulations to Tate! Could even better things be ahead for both Gerstell and St. Mary's while he is with each? 

Published
Al Franyo
AL FRANYO

Al Franyo has been a die-hard fan and follower of lacrosse, especially at the high school and college levels, since the late-80s. He absolutely loves watching games, as well as talking and writing about the sport. On Facebook, he founded the College Lacrosse Discussion Page, which has well over 15,000 members, and helped found and runs the MIAA Lacrosse Discussion Page, which has nearly 5,000 members. The MIAA A Conference is one of the strongest, most competitive and exciting high school conferences in America. Three of his favorite topics include recruiting news about players making college commitments, programs taking the next steps under their respective head coaches, and programs that are so-called "sleepers" when it comes to being very good to great. Even with lacrosse growing at such a rapid pace, Franyo loves how it is still such a small, tight, and fun world. And, in many ways, it is its own culture. He began writing about his favorite sport for High School On SI in 2024. Twitter: @alfranyo

Home/Maryland