Roland Park Country School star Caroline Seats and Bryn Mawr standout Morgan Rubin have more in common than their lacrosse teams splitting a pair of games during the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference season.
Besides being their respective teams' best players, the talented midfielders will play for the South All-Stars against the North All-Stars in the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium on July 2 at 4 p.m.
And there's one more thing; Rubin and Seats are also the 2011 co-Towson Times/Baltimore Messenger Athletes of the Year after completing outstanding senior seasons.
Both are big-time lacrosse recruits — Seats will play for Georgetown University next spring while Rubin will be at the University of North Carolina — who were also key contributors in other sports.
Their lacrosse coaches looked to them for stability and superb play, and Rubin and Seats always delivered.
"Caroline shows up to every practice and game ready to give everything she has and she never settles for anything less than her best," Roland Park co-coach Reagan Ranieri said. "Her versatility enables her to be a key player on attack, defense and in the midfield — and she led our team with heart and pride. Her effort is contagious and every player she faces elevates their game to compete at her level."
Like Rubin and other top-notch players, Seats didn't need to score to make a major impact on a game, although her 47 goals and 31 assists last spring were a testimony tof her ability to do so. Grabbing a crucial groundball, triggering a fastbreak or making a key steal were the other elements of her overall game that helped the Reds (15-6) drive to the conference final against three-time champ McDonogh in May.
Rubin (57 goals, 32 assists) draws just as much praise from Mawrtians' co-coach Kim Simons for her verve and versatility after pacing the Mawrtians (16-3) to the conference semifinal round — where they bowed to Seats and the Reds, 12-11.
"Time and time again, Morgan made big plays when it mattered most, often while being double-teamed or face-guarded," Simons said. "She has an innate ability to read the game situation, and she consistently put herself in the right place to get a critical groundball, receive a feed or score. In addition, she did it consistently and unselfishly throughout the season on a team that had four other players score 30 goals or more. Morgan was a tremendous competitor, a natural leader and the biggest factor in our success."
Both players shined in other seasons as well.
Rubin scored the tying goal during Bryn Mawr's second-half rally in the 2-1 B Conference soccer championship game victory over Roland Park to cap off a stellar 17-1-1 season, calling it her favorite sports moment of the year.
"Even though we were down by a goal for nearly the whole game, our team never gave up," Rubin said. "We kept working hard to make opportunities for ourselves. (Freshman) Danielle Hogarth, passed a ball through the middle, and I just ran onto it, made a quick move and got the shot off. Luckily, it hit the back of the net. After that goal the momentum of the game shifted and (junior) Riley Barger ended up putting another goal away to win us the title."
Rubin, a four-year starting forward, finished the season with 18 goals, three assists and endearing words from coach Tina Steck.
"Morgan's contributions reach beyond statistics, as the program also greatly benefited from her intangible qualities," Steck said. "Morgan is a true competitor whose ambitious drive is contagious to her teammates. Her unassuming nature helped her gain the trust and respect of her teammates and coaches."
While Seats' field hockey team did not have that kind of success in the competitive A Conference field hockey chase, she was still a major reason why Roland Park finished the season with a winning mark.
"She was crucial to our attack," said Roland Park field hockey coach Debbie Bloodsworth, who is retiring after 29 years at the school. "She was a threat to score every time she had the ball. Her team followed her lead, because she never gave up."
Seats scored three goals in a 4-0 whitewash of Archbishop Spalding and assisted on the game's only goal in a win over Severn after the Reds lost five of their first six conference matches.
Neither Rubin nor Seats played basketball in the winter, opting instead for less conventional pursuits, such as squash (Rubin) and indoor track (Seats).
"Over the past four years, I've learned the strategy behind the game, where to place the ball, and how to move around the court," Rubin said about her squash career.
Seats learned just as much as a solid middle-distance runner for the Reds.
"After running track for three years, I have so much respect for track athletes," she said. "Because in order to be a successful runner, you have to not only be in physical shape, but in mental shape too."