LYNN — Nowadays, many high school athletes focus on one sport. Others, however, still find ways to excel in three. Look no further than Lynn Classical’s Nevaeh Eth.
Since her first day walking through the doors on O’Callaghan Way, Eth has been a standout on Classical’s volleyball, basketball, and softball teams. On the diamond, this past spring, she was named Greater Boston League MVP after recording 35 hits, four homers, 36 RBI, 41 runs scored, and a .507 batting average.
She has since graduated from her green and gold colors.
“I’ve enjoyed playing three sports since freshman year. It’s definitely time-consuming, but honestly, I think it’s worth it and it taught me how to balance sports and school,” Eth said. “Through all of these sports, I’ve made so many friendships that I never would have made before. From each team, I made different bonds with different people and that translated to outside of school. I loved every moment of it.”
Not only was Eth juggling a sport each season, but she stayed on top of her academics, taking AP and honors classes throughout high school.
Perhaps the biggest lesson she took away was the importance of hard work — in the classroom and in competition.
“Working hard, because it definitely doesn’t come easy,” Eth said. “It’s all about the hard work you put in behind the scenes that people don’t get to see. I’m just always trying to improve myself and get better each day.”
If you ask Eth, playing three sports helped shape her into a better all-around athlete.
“I was working every season – especially in the summer. I would be playing all the sports at once. I would have travel softball, which was every weekend, then I had summer league at St. Mary’s. Then, for volleyball, we’d have workouts, so we were always in the gym,” she said. “I think playing three sports and being active every season — being in the gym year-round — helped me become a better athlete. It also helps me transition into the next sport, since I’m already well-conditioned going into the next season.”
In addition to putting in the work, Eth said she leaned on her support system. Head coaches Chris LeBlanc (volleyball), Tom Sawyer (basketball), and Joe Morin (softball) were all mentors.
“I have such a great support system. My family, coaches, and teachers have all helped me balance everything,” she said. “They were definitely my mentors that helped guide and shape me into the leader I am. They’ve given me a lot of opportunities, especially Coach Joe Morin. He gave me a lot of opportunities to grow. He picked me as a leader as a junior, and that helped me be a captain senior year for basketball and continue to be a captain for softball this year, too.”
Eth will continue her softball career at Simmons University, where she looks forward to living in Boston and beginning her next chapter.
“I’m looking forward to finally being with my teammates and starting everything. I can’t wait to be in Boston and on campus,” she said. “It’s going to make me more independent, and I’m looking forward to college life and getting started with everything.”
