Female Athlete Of The Year – Reagan Murdoch, Mt. Lebanon
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Reagan Murdoch
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Reagan Murdoch
Of course Reagan Murdoch of Mt. Lebanon gravitated to sports.
After all, her father, Tim, played football and wrestled at Peters Township High School before he competed on the football field for the Presidents of Washington & Jefferson College. Her mother, Kate, participated in scholastic basketball and soccer before blowing out her knee in college at W&J.
“Both parents were very competitive,” said the 18-year-old recent graduate. “Obviously, whether being a father or an athlete, my dad was very influential but actually my mom got me involved in sports. So I have to give her credit. We are super-similar people, hard on ourselves and push ourselves to the limits.”
As a youth, there were no limits to what Murdoch could do. She played every sport. She even was introduced to ballet.
“I did it all but I cried at my first recital,” she said. “Yeah, I hated it.”
Murdoch loved swimming, soccer, basketball and lacrosse instead. She continued to play all four through eighth grade.
“It got to be crazy,” she said. “Once high school hits, it’s insane to think you can play more than two for how long each season runs.”
So Murdoch stuck with basketball and lacrosse because of how the seasons meshed together. The fact there are many correlations between the two sports did not hurt either.
“People are shocked when I tell them there are a lot of similarities,” she said.
The one constant though was Murdoch’s talent. She was a standout in both sports, helping the Blue Devils collect a lot of hardware to put in the trophy cases.
In basketball, she was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter. This winter, Murdoch captained Lebo to a section title, WPIAL championship and a PIAA state title-game appearance. She averaged 8.8 points and 4.37 rebounds.
“We don’t go 27-2 without Reagan,” said Lebo coach Dori Oldaker. “Her leadership skills on and off the court as well as her work ethic is unbelievable. Her willingness to compete and shut down players that are much taller than her is incredible.”
Even more amazing were Murdoch’s contributions to the lacrosse program. A starter since her freshman year, she altered the program, making the Blue Devils a perennial contender for WPIAL titles and PIAA playoff appearances. In fact, Lebo was the district runner-up for the past two seasons.
This spring, she tallied 60 goals and had 35 assists. She scored 197 career goals and supplied 92 assists. Because she broke her wrist in the first half of the WPIAL championship match against Shady Side Academy, Murdoch was unable to become the school’s first 200-goal, 100-assist player.
“That’s really too bad because Reagan ranks right up there with the best players to come through our program,” said Lebo coach Brian Kattan. “There’s no doubt she left the program in a better place.”
Victories meant more to Murdoch than statistics and awards, of which there were many, from all-section and all-district to all-American, both athletically and academically thanks to a 4.9 GPA.
“It’s hard to see 197 but honestly I am happy with what I accomplished. I’ve never been one to dwell on what should have or could have been. It was the WPIAL championship that I wanted more and to lose it the way we did was rough. I was just happy that in the end it was I who got hurt and not someone like my sister.”
Murdoch’s sister, Addie, is in her critical recruiting summer. In addition to playing lacrosse, she is an ice hockey prospect.
That Murdoch takes the bullet for others comes as no surprise to Oldaker.
“Reagan exudes the motto ‘Duty First, Honor Always and Self Last.’ She fights through adversity and yet finds the sunshine in every moment and in every human being,” said Oldaker. “She is an outstanding leader, player and human being who brings out the best in others.
“Reagan is just one of those kids that you hate to see graduate but you can’t wait to see how she makes a difference and the world a better place.”
Murdoch’s next stop is American University. She will play lacrosse for the Eagles while majoring in neuroscience and international relations with the hopes of pursuing a career in the medical profession or international pharmaceuticals.
“I’m a big helper. I care about people,” she said. “I’m not a save-the-whole-world person but I think it’s important to do good and leave the world a better place than when you found it.”
Murdoch has discovered her athletic life to be satisfactory so far. She said vying for championships was the highlight in her career.
“I had the most unbelievable March in basketball, winning WPIALs and going to Hershey and then playing lacrosse. The experiences and atmosphere in both sports were extremely different. You took from both and learned and appreciated so much.
“In sports, in general, you learn that success doesn’t always come from winning. You can focus all you want on the medals but it’s the experiences that take you further. It’s what you learn sometimes when you don’t win that is extremely useful.”
Murdoch can find one last meaningful moment in her career with one final distinction. She has been named The Observer-Reporter and The Almanac Female Athlete of the Year for 2022.
“I’m honored,” she said. “There were a ton of great athletes, just in our school alone. It’s been really great fun to be part of such an amazing class and year.”
“Reagan will be missed,” predicted Kattan, “but she will also be doing great things in the future. She will continue to be a great ambassador for Mt. Lebanon and Western Pennsylvania lacrosse.”