DANVERS — For the first time since 2015, the Salem News Student-Athlete Award is heading back to the halls at Marblehead High School.
Magicians standout Joy Meshulam has earned that honor, seizing the trophy by edging out 14 other worthy senior candidates at this year’s 64th annual celebration at the Danversport Yacht Club Wednesday night.
The valedictorian in her graduating class, Meshulam impressed with her infectiously optimistic attitude, well-rounded repertoire, and ability to see the positives in every single endeavor she’s attacked in both her athletic and academic careers.
“I didn’t expect this at all,” said an emotional Meshulam, surrounded by family and coaches Wednesday night. “I’m just really grateful for the opportunities my coaches, my teammates and my peers have provided me with, because I think my success is just the result of everyone else’s effort — and I’m really grateful for that.”
It goes without saying that Meshulam is a phenomenal student. As valedictorian, she’s compiled a GPA of 4.639 while earning a staggering score of 1,470 on her SATs. She’s headed to Dartmouth College in the fall to study Evolutionary Biology and Art History.
But as intelligent and hard working as she is in the classroom, Meshulam has arguably accomplished just as much in golf as a rare female athlete on the co-ed team in Marblehead. Not only did Meshulam — who also plays tennis — impress with her consistently stellar play near the top of the Magicians’ lineup, but she swiftly earned the respect of her peers and coaches with her upbeat personality and unwavering, committed approach to the game.
“I thought Joy was incredibly mature and well spoken, and the fact that she was the first female captain on the golf team at Marblehead really stood out to me,” said Shelley Murray, a Salem Five Bank rep and one of five judges on this year’s student-athlete panel.
“Going back and reading some of the comments from her letters of recommendation, the golf coach (Bob Green), a former PGA professional, talking about the mental toughness and positivity that she would maintain throughout a practice or match, that’s really impressive,” added Salem Five’s Vice President and another one of this year’s judges, Brad Hunt.
“And again, blazing a trail as the first female captain,” he added. “You can’t write that.”
Meshulam leads both vocally and by example. She had some incredible golf rounds, including a personal best 1-under par showing during tryouts this past fall, and also won a long drive competition during the offseason.
Described by her friends as “insanely good” at escape rooms, Meshulam seems to find the joy in everything. She enjoys skiing and has a profound interest in science, hoping to discover a new species in Australia sometime down the line.
Perhaps Meshulam’s most impressive asset is her steady demeanor. Regardless of how she’s feeling emotionally, she stays the course and projects an aura of confidence to those around her.
“My coaches (Tracey Ackerman in tennis and Green in golf) are the reason why I have developed as a person, as an athlete and as a student,” said Meshulam. “They have been so influential in making me a better human, whether it’s on or off the course, and I’ve learned to always smile through it all. Whether you win or lose, you have to enjoy it all.”
Meshulam becomes the first Marblehead student-athlete to take home the award since Spencer Craig did so in 2015, and the seventh Magician overall since the award’s inception back in 1962.
Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.