Megan Laughlin
Flanagan High School
Illinois
When Megan Laughlin counts her blessings, she needs a calculator.
The 6-foot-1 Cornell native was born with height, coordination and a calorie-burning metabolism.
Well, maybe that last item would be a blessing to a super model, but a super athlete needs some heft.
The Flanagan High School graduate used to be so slender, in fact, her Illini Elite Volleyball Club coaches got on her about eating more and lifting weights to add muscle.
She took their words to heart, stomach and the weight room, changing her 110-pound frame as a freshman into a 145-pound volleyball killing machine bound for the University of South Carolina on a full scholarship.
"I learned a lot about nutrition the last couple years," said Laughlin, who has been named the Pantagraph Female High School Athlete of the Year.
She was earlier named the Pantagraph Area Volleyball Player of the Year and followed that with first-team All-Area honors in basketball and her fourth state trip in track.
"She could have had a scholarship in all three sports," said Flanagan track coach Dave VanWeelden, who watched her place 12th in the state triple jump this year, third in 2006, fifth in 2005 and 17th in 2004.
Her school record triple jump of 36 feet, 11½ inches ranks third in area history.
She helped her 33-9 volleyball team place fourth in the state by averaging an area-leading 5.7 kills per game to finish with a school record 500 for the season.
"She broke a lot of records for us," said volleyball coach Kari Harms, noting Laughlin was the first Falcon to reach 1,000 career kills.
"It is amazing to watch her and see how effortless it is. She was good early, but she put in hard work to elevate her game. I've never seen someone as hard to defend as her. She was almost unstoppable."
Her 10.7-point scoring average in basketball helped the Falcons go 26-5 en route to the Heart of Illinois Conference title and a sectional berth.
Her ability to jump and touch a height of 9 feet, 10 inches helped her average 7.5 blocks and 7.9 rebounds to go with 3.0 assists.
"She is just smooth and athletic and she works hard," said her basketball coach, Brad Harmon, who watched her help Flanagan reach the Elite Eight in that sport her junior year.
Harmon believes Laughlin's older sister, Kelsie, was critical to Megan's development.
"She was always trying to keep up with Kelsie," he said. "If you wanted to stir practice up, instead of having them on the same team, you'd have them go against each other. Megan would bring practice to another level."
Flanagan fans thought the volleyball team might reach the Elite Eight level in 2005 when Kelsie, now a starter for Southern Illinois University, was a senior and Megan a junior, but they lost in the sectional final.
That setback made the final four trip in 2006 extra special.
"I knew they would be good, but I was surprised," Kelsie said. "I couldn't believe they got fourth."
Kelsie takes pride in her sister's accomplishments.
"Whatever she does, she is top notch," Kelsie said. "I love seeing her win. I hate seeing her lose."
But that didn't happen much as the volleyball team went 99-15 her last three years while the basketball team went 75-17.
"She understands the games whether it is volleyball or basketball," said Harmon, who often discussed strategy with Laughlin as did Harms.
"She was pretty blunt. She would say if she agreed or not. She had good ideas."
She also had support at home and around town. Her parents, Brian and Chris, kept sports in perspective.
"Some parents put pressure on their kids," Megan said. "It has not been that way for me at all."
The things she'll remember most about her various state trips are the fun she had with teammates and the "atmosphere of having the whole community having your back."
New friends await Laughlin at South Carolina where she has already begun pre-season weight training.
The opportunity for playing time bodes well for Laughlin, who is the Gamecocks' lone middle hitter since one quit and another became academically ineligible.
Only time will tell if Laughlin's body building workouts - and meals - can help her withstand the demands of a starting role, but Harms offered a prediction: "I can't imagine her not playing."
Full Story: http://www.pantagraph.com
