Meg Carroll drives hard in the paint against St. Joseph (Conn.). She led the team with 15 points in that game. Photo courtesy of Janard Jones / Lasell Athletics
By: Josh Wolmer and Casey Debari
In the past three seasons, Meg Carroll was nothing more of a role player for the women’s basketball team. She came off the bench in most games or received a rare start, never averaging more than 4.3 points per game in a season.
This season though, Carroll has demonstrated abilities no one has seen before. Carroll has become a focal point of the Lasers offense, scoring 15.8 points per game while collecting rebounds and being an important leader.
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It’s been incredible for me personally,” said graduate student and teammate Peyton Young.
“Fun fact, I don’t know if most people know this but Meg and I have actually been playing basketball together since fifth grade. I’ve been able to watch her not only grow as a person, but as a player. For her to just have an absolutely amazing senior season has been very special for me to watch,” Young said.
Carroll has won two “Player of The Week” honors for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) this season. The first was for the week of November 29 when she averaged 33.5 points and 17.5 rebounds, shooting 62.2% from the field (28-45) in a week where the Lasers took home two victories. This included their first conference win of the year.
When asked about the accomplishment, Carroll said it felt unreal. “It was better than the school record, I think. It was just a feeling that I still can’t believe. I remember at the beginning of the season we all set our own individual goals…and I really wanted to win GNAC player of the week,” Carroll said.
The school record Carroll is referring to is when she scored 39 points and 20 rebounds in a game against Northern Vermont University – Johnson in November. This performance also helped her win the United States Basketball Writers Association’s national player of the week in division three basketball.
“Yeah, unbelievable,” said head coach Kelley Sundberg about Carroll’s excellence that week. “I think that’s an unbelievable accomplishment. That week specifically, she had two really good performances that got us two wins. So obviously really proud of her,” she said.
Carroll’s second GNAC player of the week win was for the week of January 16. In the one game the Lasers had, she had a dominant 24 point and 14 rebound game.
Young had nothing but praise for her longtime friend. “It’s been great. I think she really stepped up into a role that she wasn’t always comfortable in. So I think with me being out [with an injury], she had to be a more vocal leader which isn’t always her thing. But she definitely fits the shoes.”
Young explained how she observed Carroll’s leadership in different ways, explaining that it is Carroll’s cheerful and supportive personality that helps light the way for the team. “Sometimes she needs to be that person that is like, ‘okay, it’s okay.’ You know, we’re in a little bit of a lull right now, but we’ll get it back.”
The team is now gearing up for playoffs and sits ninth in the GNAC with a 7-11 conference record.
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