For his accomplishments in the classroom and in the athletic arena, St. John’s Prep senior lacrosse standout Luke Kelly, of Marblehead, was chosen as the male Moynihan Lumber Student-Athlete of the Month for April.
It’s pretty clear Kelly knows what excellence looks like.
This spring, Kelly and the Eagles (15-1 by press time) are competing for their fifth straight Division 1 state championship, and they’ll be in position to do it, currently ranked No. 3 in the MIAA’s power rankings.
A year ago, he scored 27 goals to go with 14 assists – potting five in the championship game victory over Needham – and so far this season, he scored 16 goals with 12 assists by early May.
Not as potent, sure, but there’s a big reason why.
“We have a super unselfish group this year,” said Kelly, a midfielder. “It’s just crazy how spread out and balanced the scoring is. We’ve got a bunch of guys committed to play at the Division 1 college level and at Division 3, so it’s just been a lot of fun to be a part of.”
And Kelly is one of those athletes committed to play D1.
The moment he stepped onto the University of Michigan campus last September, he knew it was home. Getting to attend a football game at the “Big House” certainly didn’t hurt either. But ultimately, the coaching staff got Kelly to pull the trigger quickly over other interests from Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, and the Naval Academy. Plus, it fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing D1 lacrosse, following the footsteps of older brothers Connor (Richmond) and Michael (Princeton).
“I honestly wasn’t expecting to go [to Michigan] at the start,” said Kelly, who will study business. “I didn’t have my sights set on one particular school. But they reached out early last September, and when I went out there, the coaches and the guys were just awesome. It felt right.”
But for years now, Kelly knew that if he wanted to play D1 collegiate lacrosse, he would need to have the grades to back it up. He’s taken six Advanced Placement courses over his high school career – four this year as a senior – and leaves The Prep with a sparkling 4.54 GPA and as a member of National Honors Society and Chinese National Honors Society.
“I’ve never felt like school was a burden,” Kelly said. “I’ve always enjoyed going to school and learning, and I’ve always loved being in challenging classes. I view those AP courses as a way to get better, just like going to a lacrosse practice.”
