Based on their achievements in the classroom and in their respective athletic endeavors, Beverly High lacrosse star Madeline Reynolds and two-sport Swampscott High standout Michael Collins have been selected as April’s Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month.
Reynolds is fresh off a tremendous farewell lacrosse campaign with the Panthers, surpassing 600 career saves while closing her career as the school’s all-time leader in both wins and total saves. She was also the first player in program history to be named a USA Lacrosse All-American — something she says is her biggest accomplishment.
All this comes after Reynolds admittedly had second thoughts four years back on whether lacrosse was even for her or not.
“Freshman year I lacked confidence and wasn’t sure if I truly enjoyed the sport,” said Reynolds. “At the end of the season I joined a club team and decided I wanted to play in college. My coaches, both school and club, have offered endless support and praise, while my parents often helped me to see the bright side of it all when I would get in my head.”
A three-time NEC All-Conference selection and this year’s NEC Player of the Year, Reynolds started between the posts in each of her four years at Beverly. This season, she helped lead the Panthers to a 17-1 regular season record and a trip to the Division 1 Sweet 16 thanks to a thrilling overtime win over Brookline in Round 1.
Even with all that individual and team success, it was the comradery and “all-in” efforts from her squad’s entire roster that she appreciated most.
“This year wasn’t super intense on my end of things as it had been in years past, but I didn’t mind because I got to see everyone on my team thrive,” she said. “This team was a group of girls who will always find a way to put a smile on your face no matter the kind of day you are having. I am most proud of everyone who worked hard this season to get us to that Sweet 16 spot.”
Of course an excellent student as well, Reynolds is on the honor roll and a proud member of DECA. She also finds time to volunteer for Beverly Bootstraps, the Beverly Senior Center and is a liaison for Morgan’s Message.
Reynolds certainly could have landed on a Division 1 college team to continue her lacrosse career, but has instead chosen to attend Division 3 University of New England, which simply felt like the right fit for her from the jump.
“When I first started my recruiting process I had no idea what I wanted academically, I just knew I wanted to play lacrosse,” said Reynolds. “I visited some schools and started to come to the realization that Division 1 probably wasn’t for me.
“The first time I visited UNE it felt right,” she continued. “The players welcomed me, the coach resembled my high school coach who is such a big inspiration to me, and the academics were where I wanted them. I am super excited to advance to the next level of play and get new opportunities.”
Collins, meanwhile, has thrived as Big Blue baseball’s starting catcher for all four years of his high school career. As a two-year captain, he was among the North Shore’s leaders in regular season hits (24), RBI (25) and homers (3) while helping his team to a Northeastern Conference crown in walk-off fashion over rival Masconomet. It was the first NEC baseball championship for Swampscott since 1997.
“It truly was a culmination of a season’s worth of hard work and sacrifice and I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying experience to end my baseball career,” said Collins, who added that he was most proud of being named a captain as a junior.
During the fall season, Collins shined on the golf course, placing third overall at the Division 3 North Sectionals as a senior with a sizzling round of 78 (6-over par), the best 18 hole score of his career. A two-time NEC all-star, he also fired a season-best 38 (+4) at the ever challenging Tedesco Country Club and placed 18th in the D3 state championship.
A terrific student, Collins boasted a GPA near 4.0 and was in the top 5-10 percent of his graduating class. A National Honor Society Member for each of his final two school years, Collins also took home such honors as the Citizen Scholar Award, AP Scholar Award, and was a state competition qualifier for DECA.
A member of the Jewish Student Union at school, Collins has also volunteered at the Swampscott Senior Center and Swampscott Little League and is the Treasurer of the anti-defamation league at Swampscott High. He was also chosen by his peers to be one of the four Powderpuff coaches last fall.
How does he balance it all, you ask?
“For me time management has been very crucial. My parents have always instilled in me that balancing both sports and academics are crucial,” said Collins. “I have a great set of friends that all strive for success in both academics and sports and it always made me want to strive for success in my fields as well. I tend to follow the motto of ‘surrounding yourself with success will lead to it.’”
Accepted to Villanova University’s School of Business, Collins will head off to Pennsylvania in the fall where he plans on studying finance with a minor in business law. He also hopes to join the club golf team there, catch plenty of basketball games and join “as many intramural events that he can in order to make friends.”
