Rider goes overseas for fresh talent

By Benjamin Shinault

Spain is a European country enriched with vibrant culture, sun-soaked beaches and passionate sports fans. Despite being over 3,600 miles away, freshman guard Aina Perez Mesquida and freshman center Claudia Lazaro-Carrasco have made the seven-hour plane ride to Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and are suiting up for Rider women’s basketball this season.

The two Spanish freshmen are looking to bring a fresh playstyle and new brand of basketball to the Broncs this season.

Small world

Lazaro-Carrasco, from Madrid, and Mesquida, from Manacor, Spain, lived 12 hours away from each other, but both happened to play against each other in the same tournament. Former Rider Assistant Coach and Director of International Scouting Sharay Hall watched them compete against each other back in Spain.

Hall proceeded to recruit Lazaro-Carrasco and Mesquida, resulting in both signing with the Rider Broncs. However, due to a coaching change during the offseason, Hall was let go and a whole new staff came in.

Mesquida, who arrived at Rider in July, was unsure if she was still wanted as Bronc, but Head Coach Jackie Hartzell welcomed her with open arms.

“I was pretty scared because we already signed to come here, so I was thinking, ‘maybe the new coach doesn’t want us here,’ … but then I got to my first meeting with Coach Jackie and she was super nice,” Mesquida said.

Lazaro-Carrasco and Mesquida made a visit to Rider in December 2024 to scope out their home for the upcoming school year, and officially arrived to Rider six weeks apart in summer 2025.

Dabbling in American culture

For Mesquida, she has only been to the United States one time before committing to Rider, and that was to play in an amateur basketball tournament in Florida. Before her December visit, Lazaro-Carrasco had never been to America.

As she was settling into her new home in Lawrenceville, Mesquida wanted to try one thing when she unpacked her bags. 

“The first day I got here I told Jackie that I never tried Chick-fil-A before so she drove me there,” Mesquida said with a laugh.

During summer sessions, the two freshmen would tag along with the rest of the team on trips into Princeton and New York City.

Personal expectations

Mesquida and Lazaro-Carrasco have two differing playstyles. Mesquida described herself as a team-first player who likes to create for her teammates, but is a weapon off the ball as well.

“I like to pretty much do everything,” Mesquida said, “I like to play without the ball and try to do what coaches want, when it comes to plays and trying to look for my teammates all the time.”

Lazaro-Carrasco is still getting her feet wet when it comes to adjusting to the American playstyle, as well as playing in Division I basketball, but she knows what she wants out of herself this season.

“I’m pretty versatile and I like playing down in the post,” Lazaro-Carrasco said, “I just want to improve everyday.”

Coach’s vision

Despite not being the driving force behind getting the Spanish duo to Rider, Hartzell is very excited to see what they can do on the court.

When Hartzell accepted the job at Rider, she reached out to both players to ensure they are still on board with playing for the Broncs, making Hartzell happy upon hearing the two decided to put their trust into the first-year coach.

In Hartzell’s eyes, Mesquida is going to be a crucial player for the Broncs this season and Lazaro-Carrasco will be a critical role player as she continues to settle into American play.

“Aina is going to be a major piece of our team this year and with Claudia, she is kind of catching up,” Hartzell said.

The new coach also stated that Broncs fans can expect Mesquida to crack the starting lineup. The last time the Broncs had a freshman guard to begin the year as a starter came in 2016 with Stella Johnson, Rider’s all-time leading scorer.

After only accumulating 17 wins over the past 60 games, the Broncs are hungry to steer the ship and bring back the strong women’s basketball presence to Rider. Mesquida and Lazaro-Carrasco both hope to be the poster children of the new era.