Simply put, Keagan Jewell is a natural born leader.
But with that leadership comes an exceptional set of athletic skills, ones in which she consistently displayed in each of her three sports throughout high school.
As captain of the field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse teams this past school year, Jewell’s on and off surface impact shined bright on a daily basis. She collected numerous awards and honors throughout her final campaigns, all of which were very well deserved.
Now, as she prepares for her next chapter as a field hockey and ice hockey player at the University of Saint Joseph in Connecticut, Jewell will take one more accolade with her: this year’s Gloucester Daily Times Female Athlete of the Year for GHS.
“Keagan is a generational player,” said Fishermen field hockey coach Lauren Riley-Gove. “She has always been widely instrumental in direction and know-how. An all-around superb athlete, she is someone we would go to with questions and advice on how to best direct the team.
“We always talk about the field hockey family,” continued Riley-Gove, “and Keagan Jewell will always be remembered as one of our brightest shining stars.”
Certainly a gifted field player — “she could’ve been one of our most decorated field players,” said Riley-Gove — Jewell instead slid into a position that was most needed for the team: goalie.
In doing so, she became one of the NEC’s top shot stoppers and leaders from the back, finishing her senior year with an area-best 14 wins and 12 shut outs. She had 141 total saves last fall and wrapped up her career with a whopping 47 shut outs.
An NEC All-Conference selection, Jewell turned forth a ridiculous performance between the pipes in her team’s narrow Division 2 playoff loss to perennial state powerhouse Watertown (2-0 setback).
“She was the anchor that kept our program in the spotlight for four years,” added Riley-Gove.
When the winter season rolled around, Jewell swapped out her cleats and goalie pads for hockey skates. Despite battling injuries down the regular season stretch, she suited up for her team nonetheless and turned forth a remarkable campaign, earning Northeast Hockey League MVP and Gloucester Daily Times Winter Sports Female MVP honors.
In leading the Fishermen to a Division 2 playoff appearance, Jewell finished with 18 goals and eight assists, with those 26 total points ranking fifth in the entire North Shore area. She would play any position head coach Robert Parsons asked of her, and did so without complaining while regularly finding a way to make an immense impact on game days.
Jewell also surpassed 100 career points along the way, becoming the first player in GHS girls hockey program history to ever do so.
Wrapping up her decorated athletic career on the lacrosse field, Jewell served as an irreplaceable leader, starter and everyday contributor for a team that continued its rebuild in the ever-competitive NEC. She was one of her team’s more talented attackers, setting a standard that will be followed by GHS players for years to come.
Jewell finished with a near perfect (99.85/100) GPA and plans to major in biology on a pre-med track in college. All that while continuing her incredibly promising careers on the turf and the ice.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.