Banner year ends
By MIKE BOGEN, The Republican
Westfield native Jordan Baillargeon saved the best for last in what
turned out to be a very busy freshman year at Franklin Pierce
University.
Baillargeon, an All-Scholastic field hockey and two-time
All-Scholastic lacrosse player at Westfield High School, was named
Sunday to the All-Northeast-10 women's lacrosse second team. She's
only the second player in the history of the program at the college
to earn a spot on an all-conference team.
Longmeadow native Mia Basile, a sophomore attacker at Merrimack,
was also named to the second team.
Beyond enjoying an outstanding season as a starting midfielder for
the Ravens - she was second in scoring with 46 ponts (39 goals, 7
assists) - Baillargeon's freshman year included a season as a
part-time starter on the Franklin Pierce field hockey team.
"Coach (Meighan) Guiney recruited me for lacrosse and when we came
up for my visit, my mom mentioned that I played field hockey,"
Baillargeon said. "So coach Guiney asked me to play hockey,
too."
Baillargeon didn't enjoy the touch of stardom in field hockey that
she achieved in lacrosse, but she did play in 17 of 19 games, and
started four. There were seven freshmen vying for playing time.
"Next year I think that as long as I really focus and work hard
that there's a good chance I'll be playing a lot more and
contributing to the team," she said.
Baillargeon really came into her own once lacrosse began.
"I think my season went really well compared to what I expected,"
she said. "It was intimidating at first, but I got used to it
quickly. I think it boosted my confidence that I'll be able to do
well as I get older."
Baillargeon, an attacker throughout high school, was moved to fill
a need at midfield and filled it so well that she could be
entrenched there. That's not her preference, but it's something
she'll be OK with.
"The few times I played attack this year I think it really showed
the best I can play. I felt like I was always playing catch-up at
midfield, because it had been so long since I had played there,"
Baillargeon said. "If I'm there again next year it'll be fine
because I'll know what I'm getting into and I'll be able to prepare
for it better."
Baillargeon dealt well with the two-sport demands on her time. She
had a 3.6 grade point average after first semester.
"I found that as long as I kept up with it (school work) that I
could do well," she said. "I'm going to try continue playing two
sports. It'll depend on how good shape I'm in each season, but I'm
planning on it all the way through my senior year."