BC's defensive advantage

Hannigan makes switch pay off

Needham's Emily Hannigan will play in a club lacrosse tourney with a few Boston College teammates next month to stay sharp for the fall scrimmage season. (boston college)

Emily Hannigan's outstanding performance as an athlete and student has earned the Boston College junior from Needham her coach's confidence, and a berth this spring on the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Academic women's lacrosse team for the third consecutive season.

Hannigan, who had to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average to be eligible, also received the Athletic Director's Award for Academic Excellence at BC.

"It's obviously something I'm proud of and BC has definitely helped me by providing structure on and off the field. Making the All-ACC Academic Team the first time gave me an incentive to be part of it every year," said Hannigan, who as a junior this spring led all BC defenders with five goals and four assists. She was also second on the team in caused turnovers (21), and third in ground balls (22) and draw controls (23), and had a game-winning tally against Brown University.

"Emily has and continues to be exceptionally hard working in the classroom and on the lacrosse field," said Eagles head coach Bowen Holden, whose team was 7-10 overall and 2-3 in the ACC.

"She has successfully made the switch from midfield to defense and was our strongest one-on-one defender at both positions. Emily has a lot of raw talent but her true achievements come from her work ethic and she is a true joy to coach."

Hannigan, who will play in a club lacrosse tournament with some of her BC teammates in upstate New York from Aug. 7 to 10 to stay sharp for the fall scrimmage season, said she always enjoyed making a big defensive play.

"I had thought about making the switch and when Coach Holden asked me about it, I was excited," she said. "I started as a defender as a high school sophomore before being moved to midfield, and even now Coach Holden allows me to go on the attack in transition and it definitely caught a few teams by surprise last season."

At Needham High, Hannigan was captain of the lacrosse team her senior year, when she was honored as a Globe All-Scholastic, first team All-American and first team Bay State Conference pick after leading the league in scoring with 58 goals and 50 assists. She also played two years of soccer.

As a BC freshman, Hannigan scored 28 goals and followed that up with 26 more as a sophomore before the position change.

"I was looking to improve the strength of our defense and increase our chances for fast-break opportunities," explained Holden, who starred in goal for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High before playing at Bowdoin College and then Georgetown University.

"And because Emily is one of our fastest and best athletes and had strength and speed coming out of the defensive end, I felt she would be a great asset in helping us achieve both goals," she said. "It has all paid off well for her and the team."

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or at marvin.pave@rcn.com.