At Boston Latin School, we often see many of our teams and players awarded for significant athletic accomplishments. One such athlete is Maeve Murray (I), a captain of the girls’ varsity hockey team. She recently won the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Bruins Sportsmanship Award, which celebrates exemplary leadership and sportsmanship on and off the ice.
As a two-year captain, strong left wing and amazing teammate, Murray is incredibly deserving of this award. It is a huge honor to receive the award as it is often given to players who demonstrate responsible and respectful behavior to their teammates, coaches, referees, staff and anyone else they may encounter as an athlete.
Girls’ hockey coach Olivia Collins describes Murray as “everyone’s cheerleader,” and that “while dealing with her own successes, she also makes sure to uplift everyone around her. Maeve’s passion is infectious; she makes everyone around her want to be and do better.” Murray is clearly not only thought of as a supportive teammate, but also as a player whose hard work inspires others around her.
Although Murray’s award was earned for her sportsmanship, her hockey skills also match up. She has played hockey since she was three years old, and amazingly enough, joined the varsity hockey team when she was only in seventh grade. This season, she scored a very impressive 27 points (19 goals, 8 assists), in 24 games.
“Maeve really had a breakout season. She was absolutely exceptional,” says Coach Collins. “Maeve has consistently been an asset to the team throughout her six years, but this year her contributions both on and off the ice were a huge part of why we were so successful.” The combination of Murray’s proficiency on the ice, in addition to the award prove her to be an incredibly well-rounded hockey player.
Murray, reflecting on her growth this season, expresses, “This season, I feel like I really broke out of my shell. I not only learned how to be a better leader but also pushed myself to be a better player and take control of the mini accomplishments on and off the ice to better myself.”
Under her leadership, the girls’ varsity hockey team was able to crush the competition this year with a 17-5-2 record that eventually led them to States. Although they started the season with a loss, it only fueled the team to become stronger together as their season went on. Murray explains, “We grew as players and started to build chemistry as a team to the point where I’ll never forget the bond we created.”
Although Murray is uncertain where she will be next fall, she is determined to join the club hockey team wherever she lands. Regardless of where she is, we are sure that she will continue to make a huge impact on her community, just like she has at BLS.
