Meghan Quinlan (’98)
Meghan Quinlan was the most honored goalie in the history of Glen Rock High School soccer, being awarded Honorable Mention by The Record for its All-Century Team. She was also an outstanding basketball and softball player.
Meghan Quinlan was an outstanding soccer player. In her sophomore year, she was a starting midfielder on the 1995 team that was the Group 2, State Co-Champion (after a 1-1 tie with Moorestown after two overtime periods) and had a final record of 20-2-2 (with one of those losses in the Championship Game of the All Group, Bergen County Championship). At the end of the season, Meghan was named to the Second Team, All-B-PSL King.
In her junior year, Meghan switched to playing goalie. Over the next two years, with Hall of Fame inductee Erin Lautermilch at sweeper, Meghan anchored a defensive unit that allowed only 9 goals and registered 36 shutouts in 45 games. The team’s only losses were to the much larger and nationally ranked Ramapo and Ridgewood in the final rounds of the All-Group, Bergen County Championship Tournament.
In Meghan’s junior year, the 1996 soccer team won the B-PSL King Championship and won the 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 Meghan recording 21 shutouts and only allowing 5 goals in those 24 games. At the end of the season, Meghan was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King and to the First Team, All-County.
In Meghan’s senior year, the 1997 soccer team won the B-PSL King Championship and won the 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 Meghan recording 18 shutouts and only allowing 4 goals in those 21 games. At the end of the season, Meghan was again named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King and to the First Team, All-County.
In addition, Meghan was a three year starting guard on the school’s basketball team and led that team to several successful seasons that included trips to the county and state tournaments during her junior and senior years with final records of 16-6 and 12-10 respectively.In her junior year, the team reached the Group 1, Sectional Semifinals and Meghan was named to the First Team, All-Suburban and to the Third Team, All-County. In her senior year, she was the team’s leading scorer and was named to the First Team, All-Suburban and received Honorable Mention, All-County.
In the spring, Meghan was a three year starter and leader on the softball team. In her junior year, she was the team’s leading hitter and shortstop, and was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL Carpenter (having received Honorable Mention as a sophomore) and to the Second Team, All-Suburban, as well as receiving Honorable Mention, All-County. In her senior year, she continued to be the team’s leading hitter (with an average in excess of .400) after moving to catcher, and was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL Carpenter and the First Team, All-Suburban, as well as again receiving Honorable Mention, All-County.
In June 1998, the administration and coaches of Glen Rock High School recognized Meghan as the top female athlete in that year’s graduating class and gave her the esteemed Athlete of the Year Award.
In 2000, Meghan received Honorable Mention to The Record’s All-Century Soccer Team.
After graduating from GRHS, Meghan attended the University of Scranton
where she was the starting goalkeeper for all four years, leading her team to
three league titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. She was named
League Rookie of the Year as a freshman and League Most Valuable Player as a
senior. She graduated holding all of Scranton’s goalkeeping records and holding
the NCAA Division III record for most consecutive minutes played by a
goalkeeper (7,713). She was also named the top female athlete in her graduating
class and, several years later, she was inducted into the school’s Wall of Fame
for her athletic accomplishments.