Athlete of the Week for Monday, Oct. 28, 2024

Name:  Megan Long

School: Bryn Mawr School

Year:   Senior

Sport:   Tennis

Position:  No. 1 singles

About Megan: As if Megan’s terrific regular season wasn’t enough to show her ability, the talented senior’s championship tournament proved her value to Bryn Mawr’s undefeated run to the A Conference team title — snapping McDonogh’s three-year reign and vaulting the Mawrtians to their first crown since 2018.

Megan, the No. 1 singles’ top seed, ousted Roland Park Country School sophomore Anne Garrett Randolph, 6-0, 6-1, in the semifinal round to advance to the final to face St. Paul’s School for Girls senior Grace Yurko.

Grace battled Megan down to the wire in the first set before falling, 7-5. Megan, however, closed out the match and the season with a 6-1 verdict in the final set to set the tone for the Mawrtians.

Despite her team being considered a viable title contender, Megan said that she had modest expectations entering the season.

“We definitely didn’t go into the season thinking we were going to win…we came in pretty humbled because we’ve been pretty low the last couple of years,” Megan said. “We all fought pretty hard.”

Bryn Mawr co-coaches Kate Brendler and Tilly Taborda-Almaguer are of one accord regarding Megan's stature on the court.

"Tilly and I believe that Megan's ability to stay calm when she's losing or just under pressure in a match is a key factor to her eventual success," Brendler said. "Additionally, her consistency has made it difficult for other players to beat her this year."

Congratulations, Megan!