When it comes to defense in lacrosse and field hockey, few performers can match Hereford High junior Dana Meehling, who used her toughness and outstanding quickness and footwork to help shutdown an opponent's best offensive player.
The 2016 North County News female Athlete of the Year earned First-Team All-County honors in lacrosse and was named a Second-Team All-State selection by Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland.
"She is one of the best defenders to come through Hereford in 20 years," Bulls' girls lacrosse coach Anne Ensor said. "We had seven one-goal games this year and without Dana on defense, we wouldn't have won those games."
Meehling's best sport was field hockey, where her defensive mentality set her apart from so many other players.
Meehling, a two-year starter, spearheaded a defense last fall that posted 13 shutouts and gave up only 14 goals in 20 games as Hereford repeated as Class 2A state champions.
"She is the anchor to our defense," Hereford field hockey coach Caitlin Duvall said of a defensive unit that also included juniors Gracie Sanders, Emily Endres and Grant Eber an senior Meredith Joyce. "She controlled things back there and communicated very well.
"She is very composed, which is what you really want in a defender," she added. "In the toughest part of the games, she controls the chaos. When we are up, she helps maintain that steady flow. She need to be on the field at all times."
Meehling also chipped in on offense. She finished the 2015 season with six goals and four assists.
"Her knowledge of the game is far superior to others," Duvall said. "She has a nice shot and is such a good decision maker."
Meehling, who has played for the highly regarded Green Turtle Field Hockey Club in the winter for five years, is a strong candidate to be captain of the Bulls this fall.
"Her teammates respect her because she is a leader by example," Duvall said. "She is not the most vocal person, but she works extremely hard and challenges her teammates."
The 5-foot-5 Meehling, who carries a 3.82 grade point average, is interested in playing field hockey at the next level.
York College tops her list and Christopher Newport University in Virginia has also aggressively recruited her.
But academics is her first priority.
"I would like to play field hockey in college at Division III level, but I don't know if its going to work out with what I want to major in," Meehling said of nursing. "It's hard to decide. It's a very hard to major in that and play sports "
On the lacrosse field, Meehling started the past two seasons for the Bulls.
She ranked third on a 16-2 Bulls team in ground balls with 35 and caused 19 turnovers.
"She did all the dirty work and has the defensive mentality you can't teach," Ensor said. "She always came up with a crucial turnover at the right time. She always knew where the other players were going to be and where the ball was going to go. She just reads other teams very well."
Meehling also helped get Hereford's transition game going.
"If we needed to clear the ball and the passing game wasn't going well, we would get the ball to Dana and count on her to run it out," Ensor said. "I can't remember a time she turned the ball over. She is very athletic."
Meehling played attack in lacrosse in the Hereford rec program and forward in field hockey in the same organization, but that all changed once she got to high school.
"My freshman year, I started playing defense for both and I liked it a lot more," Meehling said.