Triple Threat: Canton High’s Meg Lennon

In sports there are complementary players and there are stars. And then there are players like Canton High School’s Meghan Lennon, an elite talent with a workmanlike approach to the game who has quietly put together one of the most impressive four-year athletic careers in recent school history.

Meghan Lennon

A standout performer in three different sports — soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse — Lennon has already completed 11 varsity seasons and will wrap up her 12^th and final one this spring as a co-captain of the girls’ lacrosse team.

“I like them all,” said the unassuming Lennon when asked to name her favorite sport. “When I was little I tried every sport, and I like each one when the season comes.”

Lennon’s best sport, at least from a statistical standpoint, has been lacrosse, as evidenced by her 133 career goals and back-to-back 50-goal seasons. Yet she has hardly been an afterthought in either the fall or the winter, with consecutive league all-star selections to her credit in both soccer and hockey to go along with impressive career scoring totals.

“She did everything for this team,” remarked CHS girls’ ice hockey coach Dennis Aldrich, whose decision to switch Lennon from right wing to center paid major dividends on the ice this past season. “If we had 19 Meghans, we probably would have won the state championship this year.”

Aldrich, who grew up in Canton and went to school with Lennon’s parents, described his senior co-captain as a “joy to coach” and a big part of the team’s success this season. Although eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs in an upset, the Bulldogs still managed to win 16 games and cruised to another SEMGHL West Division title.

Lennon, meanwhile, finished second on the team in total points with 34 and once again led the squad in assists. She was also the only player on the roster who did not miss a single practice or game this season, and this Saturday she will represent her team and her town in the Mass. State Hockey Coaches Association All-Star Game at the DCU Center in Worcester.

“It’s a big deal,” said Aldrich of the selection by the MSHCA. “Only the best players from Massachusetts are chosen to play.”

Known as an unselfish and quiet player who tends to lead by example, Lennon said she appreciates the recognition she has gotten but would much rather focus on team accomplishments — such as the 2011 girls’ soccer team’s run to the Division 2 state championship game, which still ranks as her favorite high school sports memory.

Among her other personal highlights is being elected captain in all three sports this year, and she is looking forward to a memorable lacrosse season alongside her fellow captains Jen Martin and Amanda Crowley.

“Personally I’d love to hit 200 goals [this season],” acknowledged Lennon, “although it’s more important that we do well as a team and improve on [our success] the past two years.”

During that span, the Bulldogs have won one Davenport Division title, reached the postseason in both years, and won their first tournament game in several seasons.

As for Lennon, head coach Chris Murtagh said his top midfielder has an opportunity to make a “big difference in the league” this season, and he is especially excited to watch her continued growth as a leader.

“She’s very coachable,” Murtagh said of Lennon. “She’s very, very pleasant; she has a good knowledge of the game, and she’s always looking to improve.”

Both Murtagh and Aldrich identified speed, smarts and vision as three of Lennon’s greatest strengths as an athlete.

“She’s a very good passer and she always kept her whole line involved,” noted Aldrich. “She’s one of the only players who played very well in all three zones — offense, defense, and the neutral zone.”

“She has a good sense of the field, which I think she learned from other sports,” added Murtagh. “She knows when to step up and when to come in and make a steal. She can beat players with her speed and can also find the open person with her passing.”

Lennon attributes most of her ability to her competitive nature, which she sees in her father, Tom, who played hockey at Canton High, and in her siblings, Matt and Mary. The three of them are triplets, and all three grew up competing against one another in various sports, while Matt now plays the same three sports as Meghan — and is also a lacrosse captain this season.

Despite her competitive spirit, Lennon said she doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight and enjoyed playing alongside the likes of Lauren Berman, an All-American soccer player, and Meaghan McKenna, this year’s league-leading goal scorer in the SEMGHL.

“It doesn’t bother me as much as people might think,” Lennon said of playing with talented players. “Having such great players around only makes me better. I wouldn’t want the spotlight anyway. I kind of like how it is.”

As for her future plans, Lennon hopes to play at least one sport in college and maybe more, although she may limit herself to club teams depending on the school she ultimately chooses.

She also plans to pursue a career in nursing, following in the footsteps of her mother, and this spring she will complete an internship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.

“She was one of the most coachable kids I have ever had,” noted Aldrich, who will miss Lennon’s presence on the ice and in the locker room next season. “Overall, she’s just a wonderful kid.”

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=19776

Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 28 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.