This past fall, three Braintree High divison 1 athletes signed their National Letter of Intent on National signing day, November 13th, at Braintree High School. The three signees consist of Hannah Carr who signed to play soccer at Merrimack College soccer, Bella Duffy signed to Iona University lacrosse, and Sean Canavan signed for University of Massachusetts-Lowell baseball.
“It was nerve racking knowing I was being watched at all times and to try and consistently perform under that pressure. There were so many bumps along the road, but ultimately I believe I ended up where I am supposed to be,” said Hannah Carr.
The process was especially stressful for Carr who has been of interest to college programs since 8th grade at just thirteen years old. However, Hannah knew what she wanted and team chemistry was a huge deciding factor for her.
“Merrimack checked all of my boxes and the team was truly some of the most down to earth people I have ever met. When it all came down to deciding my heart was with that team and the environment Merrimack had created, I knew I would be challenged in the conference but I wouldn’t be drowning either by punching above my weight,” explains Carr.
Braintree High’s Varsity Girls Lacrosse coach, Jill Coene has seen Bella grow as an athlete since her Freshman year.
Coach Coene continued on to state, “I teach my players all that I know and it is really dependent on them if they want to apply it and take their career to the next level. It’s all about hard work and determination. Bella Duffy is a talented athlete. She is dedicated, hardworking and a great leader. She is someone a coach can rely on for any situation.”
Baseball player Sean Canavan also had a hard time picking between his favorite schools, and ultimately weighed his options as Canavan explained, “The recruiting process was very stressful for me because I had my top 3 choices but it was so hard to choose one, so I wrote down all the pros and cons of each school on a piece of paper and Lowell ended up with the most pros so I chose Lowell”
Despite being a three-sport athlete, his baseball team doesn’t compare. Sean’s love for baseball is driven by his close knit team, “My favorite thing about baseball is probably having a close team because I play football and hockey and I haven’t been with a closer team than my baseball team the past two years, I love the chemistry baseball gives,” said Canavan.