LYNNFIELD — Being a varsity, three-sport athlete in high school is a lofty accomplishment. Being a captain of all three teams brings that achievement to another level.
Lynnfield’s Rogan Cardinal, a 2023 graduate of the Pingree School and St. Lawrence University lacrosse commit, not only played and captained three Highlanders teams his senior year, but was also named conference player of the year in two of them.
“I looked at private schools after middle school because of the sports. I wanted to play at the highest level because I wanted to play in college,” Cardinal said. “I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. I loved every minute of it. The relationships and friendships I made will always be with me.”
Cardinal had a breakout year in 2023. He served as captain of the boys soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams, helping to lead those programs to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council’s (NEPSAC) Eastern Independent League (EIL) championships, while collecting individual honors in all of them.
Last fall, he was the EIL Soccer Player of the Year and selected to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald Soccer All-Scholastic teams. Last winter, Cardinal was named to the EIL Basketball All-Star team. He capped his Pingree career this spring as an EIL and NEPSAC Lacrosse All-Star honoree.
But Cardinal wasn’t done yet. Pingree recognized his accomplishments at its year-end awards ceremony with the Burrall Athletic Award, named for Marjorie F. Burrall, the athletic director at Pingree from 1967-1969. The award is presented annually to a member of the senior class who, through a combination of dedication, sportsmanship, enthusiasm and outstanding performance, contributed greatly to the quality of athletics at Pingree.
In June, Cardinal was at Fenway Park attending the 37th Globe Foundation/Richard J. Phelps Scholar-Athlete Award ceremony. He was one of 22 athletes honored for their accomplishments both on and off the field. Cardinal was one of four three-sport standouts selected as Athletes of the Year. Cardinal was one of two athletes receiving the award for NEPSAC schools.
“Receiving the Globe award at Fenway was amazing. It was pretty surreal to be there with other athletes my age, but also to be able to hear Mr. Phelps speak and others who ran the event,” Cardinal said. “He was so inspiring and extremely impressive with how active he still stays and how involved he still is with sports at his age.”
Cardinal credits his youth sports experience in Lynnfield for much of his success.
“Lynnfield Youth Sports definitely was huge,” he said. “We moved here from Melrose when I was in the first grade, so as soon as I got here I got involved with the youth lacrosse program. My dad was my coach and I got to play with guys who became my best friends.There was a core group of us who always were on the same teams and it’s crazy to see where they are all going to college.”
You might say that Cardinal hails from an athletic family. On Friday, Cardinal was in New York watching his father, Kevin Cardinal, play in the Lake Placid Summer Invitational Lacrosse Tournament. Kevin Cardinal played Division 1 lacrosse at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and football and lacrosse at Longmeadow High. He plays on the over-45 and -50 North Shore Lacrosse League teams. His mother, Katherine Cardinal, played soccer, basketball and lacrosse at Longmeadow where she was a two-sport captain (basketball and lacrosse) and won a state championship in lacrosse. Younger brother Kelan Cardinal is a rising junior at Lynnfield High where he’s the Pioneers’ goalkeeper on the soccer team and a midfielder on the lacrosse team.
This summer, Rogan Cardinal is working two part-time jobs. He is a camp counselor at the Lynnfield Recreation Station program at the middle school and also works as a server at Great Marsh Brewery in Essex.
“We see a ton of tourists and the tips are pretty good,” Rogan Cardinal said.
A long-stick midfielder, the next chapter in Rogan Cardinal’s life begins Aug. 20 when he heads to Canton, New York to move in at St. Lawrence and begin training with his Saints’ teammates.
“St. Lawrence is pretty strong and the Liberty League is very competitive, so I’m hoping we get back to the NCAA tournament again,” Rogan said. “They went two years ago, so maybe this will be the year.”
Rogan Cardinal credited Pingree Coach Keven Tersolo for “kick-starting” his college search.
“As soon as junior year ended, he was sending highlight videos to all of these coaches for all of the seniors,” Rogan Cardinal said. “He runs a factory and talks with every player and then reaches out to the coaches. Then, when it’s time for us to make a decision, he stepped back at the right time.”
Tersolo said he is confident that Cardinal will find success in college.
“This year, he went to another level,” Tersolo said. “He covered every opponent’s best midfielder and did an incredible job. He’s aggressive. He’s incredible off the ground pushing the ball in transition, and his field sense is off the charts.
“I think he’ll be able to adjust quickly to the college level where the kids are bigger, stronger and faster because he’s very coachable and very smart,” Tersolo said.
Stay tuned.
