The Gorham High School (GHS) Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse and assistant Field Hockey coach Meredith Bickford is in the middle of postseason high school action. In the midst of this, she is also keeping close tabs on her former players who are currently playing in college.
Nine former GHS players are first or second-year starters, with one student-athlete being a college senior. Bickford adds, “these collegiate athletes are all making a tremendous impact on their chosen schools.”
According to the NCAA, overall only a little over 7% of high school athletes (about 1 in 13) go on to play a varsity sport in college, and less than 2% of high school athletes (1in57)go on to play at NCAA Division I schools.
In contrast, the likelihood of an athlete earning a college degree is significantly greater; graduation success rates are 86% in Division I, 71% in Division II, and 87% in Division III. This can be attributed to the fact that a college student is instantly part of a community and in this case, being part of a team working toward a common goal. This makes the transition to college life less anxious and in turn, results in greater attrition rates.
Coach Bickford credits this amazing group for their efforts in college. Here are their highlights:
Molly Murray, a first-year starter for Keene State College, is playing midfield and majoring in Elementary Education with a Math concentration. Keene State athletics credits Murray as a top game leader v. Fitchburg state with two goals.
Lydia Gaudreau is a first-year starting midfielder, majoring in Business at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Wheaton credits Gaudreau with the game-winning goal v. Springfield College.
Clair Munkacsi is a first-year starter playing defense for Springfield College in Massachusetts. Munkacsi has two defensive saves in conference games thus far.
Julia Edwards is a first-year starter, playing defense and majoring in Health Sciences at the University of Southern Maine (USM). USM credits Edwards with a big defensive save during a win against the University of Maine at Farmington.
Faith Dillon is a second-year starter playing in the midfield, majoring in STEP environmental studies at Adelphi University in New York. Dillon scored her first career goal this season v. Southern Connecticut.
Lauren Green is a second-year starter playing in the mid/backfield, majoring in Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies at the University of New England.
Lydia McCrillis, a junior, is playing field hockey for the University of New England Nor’easter club team. The team currently has three wins over St. A’s and University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Hailey Morrill, a junior at UMaine, plays on the Maine Black Bears field hockey club team and is also co-president of the team. The team plays UVM, Holy Cross, Bates, Sacred Heart to name a few.
Molly Barr is a senior at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine playing both field hockey and lacrosse; Barr plays in the backfield for field hockey and midfield for lacrosse. Her sophomore year (in lacrosse) she played in 17 games, starting in 8 and tallying 8 goals. She is majoring in Elementary and Special Education.
These athletes are certainly making their mark while balancing a structured but fulfilled schedule. This year’s season is especially gratifying after having missed an entire season due to COVID-19. Good luck to these athletes moving forward in their college journeys.