One throws a football in effortless fashion, while the other captains two sports. Better yet, both give their all in the classroom.
Seniors Rachel Dana and Brian Vaughan Jr. are Lynn Classical’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their achievements in competition and the classroom.
Dana has been a two-sport varsity athlete for four years at the high school. Her leadership skills have been recognized, too, earning her captain titles in both softball and soccer.
As for her academics, she’s the Vice President of her class – all four years – and ranks ninth with a GPA of 4.7 in a class of 325 students. This excellence earned her an acknowledgment as one of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Honors Scholars.
In 2021, Dana was chosen for the Latin Exam Award. She also represented Classical as a student ambassador for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for her attributes both on and off the field.
Athletically, Daily Item All-Star Dana played a pivotal role in her soccer team’s Greater Boston League Championships in 2020 and 2021, receiving the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023.
As a four-year varsity softball starter, Dana contributed to her team’s conference titles in 2021 and 2022. She earned the Coach’s award her freshman and sophomore years, as well as conference All-Star recognition.
Come this fall, Dana will be pursuing a dual major in event management and computer science at either Northeastern, Endicott, or UMass Boston.
Two-year captain Vaughan Jr. has been a varsity athlete on the football team for four years.
He suffered a calamitous injury during the Thanksgiving Day game his sophomore season, which required two surgeries. But due to dedication and perseverance in physical therapy three times a week, the gunslinger returned to the field one year later for the Thanksgiving Day game his junior year.
For a career, he completed 320 of 423 passes, totaling 4,252 passing yards and 44 touchdowns. He holds the school’s record for most career passing yards and touchdowns.
On the ground, No. 2 in green ran 182 times for 1,645 yards and 16 touchdowns. Add all that up, and Vaughan was named GBL and Daily Item Player of the Year this past fall.
Academically, Vaughan is in the top 25 percent of his class, challenging himself with early college, AP, and honors courses.
He’ll be attending Western Connecticut State University in the fall, where he was admitted into the Kathwari Honors Program consisting of only 6 percent of the student population. He’ll also continue his football career.
