Erin Lautermilch ’98
Erin Lautermilch was the most honored soccer player in the history of Glen Rock High School, having been selected by The Record to its 1990s All-Decade Team and then to its All-Century Team.
Erin Lautermilch led Glen Rock High School’s soccer team to three consecutive Group, State Co-Championships as that team’s defensive leader-sweeper throughout her four year career at Glen Rock.
As a freshman, Erin was a starter on the 1994 soccer team that won the B-PSL King Championship and reached the Group 1, Sectional Championship game with a final record of 17-3-2. At the end of the season, Erin was named to the Second Team, All-B-PSL King.
In Erin’s sophomore year, she led the 1995 soccer team to a B-PSL King Championship and to a Group 2, State Co-Championship (after a 1-1 tie with Moorestown after two overtime periods). The team’s final record was 20-2-2 (with one of those losses in the Championship Game of the All Group, Bergen County Championship), with a defense that recorded 19 shutouts and only allowed 7 goals in those 24 games. While Erin was responsible for directing the team’s defense, she also scored and assisted on goals, including making the key pass that produced the winning goal in Glen Rock’s 1-0 victory over Mendham in the State Semifinal. At the end of the season, Erin was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King, to the First Team, All-County, and to the First Team, All Group, All-State by the Associated Press.
In Erin’s junior year, she led the 1996 soccer team to a B-PSL King Championship and to a Group 1, State Co-Championship (after a 1-1 tie with Pingry after two overtime periods). The team’s final record was 22-1-1 with a defense that recorded 21 shutouts and only allowed 5 goals in those 24 games. Its only loss was to the much larger and nationally ranked Ramapo in the Championship Game of the All Group, Bergen County Championship Tournament. At the end of the season, Erin was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King, to the First Team, All-County, and to the First Team, All Group, All-State by the Associated Press.
In Erin’s senior year, she led Glen Rock’s soccer team to a B-PSL King Championship and to a Group 2, State Co-Championship (after a 0-0 tie with Gloucester Catholic after two overtime periods). The team’s final record was 18-1-2 with a defense that recorded 18 shutouts and only allowed 4 goals in those 21 games. The team’s only loss was to the much larger and nationally ranked Ridgewood in the final rounds of the All-Group, Bergen County Championship Tournament. At the end of the season, Erin was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King, to the First Team, All-County, and to the First Team, All Groups, All State by the Associated Press – for the third consecutive season.
During Erin ‘s four years, Glen Rock had a combined record of 78-7-7. In her junior and senior years, with Hall of Fame inductee Meghan Quinlan in goal, Glen Rock compiled a record of 40-2-3, allowing only 9 goals and registering 36 shutouts in those 45 games.
Erin also was a three year varsity letter winner on the school’s track & field team, primarily exceling in the 800 and 1,600 meter races. In her freshman year, as a member of the Hall of Fame 1995 track team, she was a member of the first place 1,600 meters relay at the Bergen County Relays Championship, finished fourth in the 800 and fourth in the 1,600 at the Group 1, Sectional Championship, fourth in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200 at the Group 1, Bergen County Championship, and fifth in the 800 and fourth in the 1,600 at the Group 1, State Championship. She helped that team win each of those meets with dominant point totals, producing “one of the greatest seasons of any team in New Jersey history” (The Record).
In her sophomore year, Erin helped the 1996 team have a successful year, beginning with a repeat championship at the Bergen County Relays. At the B-PSL King Championship, she won the 1,600 and finished second in the 800 and was a member of the winning 1,600 relay team, helping Glen Rock repeat as league champion. At the subsequent Group 2, Bergen County Championship, she finished second in the 1,600 and third in the 800 – helping Glen Rock win the championship by a 2 point margin over Ramsey. Erin produced even stronger results at the Group 2, Sectional Championship, finishing third in the 800 and the 1,600. However, with Glen Rock unable to score points in the “missing” triple jump, Ramsey edged Glen Rock for that championship.
In Erin’s junior year, she helped the 1997 team win the school’s fifth consecutive Groups 1 & 2 Bergen County Relays Championship (96-60) with first place finishes in five of the events (with Erin running in the 1,600 and sprint medley relays) Kate leading the team in the 3×400 intermediate hurdles and shuttle hurdles) and second place finishes in five other events. At the B-PSL Carpenter Championship, Erin won the 3,200 and finished second in the 800 (to Hall of Fame Inductee Tracy Della Torre); Glen Rock’s total points of 219 nearly eclipsed the total points of all of the other teams. At the Group 1, Bergen County Championship, Erin finished third in the 3,200. Glen Rock was almost as equally dominant in this much bigger competition – scoring 213 points that is still the second highest ever (to the 1995 team’s 241 points). The 1997 team would then win the Group 1, Sectional Championship with a still record setting 204 points and then win the Group 1, State Championship with a 72-53 victory over its nearest competitor.
In the spring of her senior year, Erin focused on her future intercollegiate soccer career. She went on to star on and captain (2001) the Elon University Soccer team with three years as Conference Champions as well receiving numerous other NCAA team and individual awards.