Drury's Meehan Commits to Run Cross Country, Track at Xavier

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- In two short autumns, Drury High School senior Connor Meehan developed into one of the best cross country runners in Western Massachusetts.

 

And he is just getting started.

 

On Wednesday afternoon, Meehan signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and compete for Cincinnati’s Xavier University.

 

The one-time three-sport standout for the Blue Devils will, come August, begin a new phase of his athletic career, sharpening his focus as a harrier and indoor/outdoor distance runner for the Division I Musketeers.

 

“He’s going to improve a ton,” Drury track and field coach Jim Buffoni said after Meehan basked in the applause of the entire Drury student body. “He still has a lot of potential. I’m just noticing this year he's getting physically stronger and more mature. The big thing we talk about is we're not blessed with having a ton of boys, and certainly none that can keep up with him, so he has no one pushing him.

 

“Having some kids who will push him and having some coaches year round who will push him, that's the thing. And I think he's looking forward to it because it's awful boring sometimes. Even if he is up with everyone on the track, he's so far out in front that it's not fun.”

 

HIs first two years of high school, Meehan played soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter before switching to track and field in the spring. In August 2015, he made the switch to cross country in the fall, and by November 2017, he finished 10th in the Western Massachusetts cross country meet and posted the best time among Western Mass runners at the state Division 2 meet.

 

All the while, basketball remained a constant, and this winter, he helped the Blue Devils reach the Western Mass semi-finals.

 

“It's definitely going to be a challenge doing three seasons of strictly running,” Meehan said. “When I was here, I did a couple of years of soccer and basketball, obviously. I never really got to put my full focus on running. I think going there and running three seasons will make me better in the long run. So I think that's going to be a good thing for me to run all three seasons.”

 

Drury Athletic Director Dave Racette introduced Meehan for his big moment, noting that of 654,000 high schoolers who competed in track and field last spring, only 34,000 went on to compete in college at any level, much less the highly competitive DI ranks.

 

As it turns out, he was the third Berkshire County athlete to make the jump on Wednesday. In Lenox, Millionaire teammates Shannon Meisberger and Emma Jourdain each inked Letters of Intent -- the former to run track at Georgetown, the latter to run cross country at Maine.

 

Drury Interim Principal Timothy R. Callahan noted that Meehan’s path puts him in elite company at the school.

 

“We are a school that prides itself on college and career preparation, but it's been a while since we've had a student who has signed a Letter of Intent to perform at the Division I level,” Callahan said.

 

“This is an exciting day for all of us,” Racette continued. “The city of North Adams has a strong athletic tradition, and Drury High School consistently produces quality student-athletes who are successful long after they graduate high school or play their last game.”

 

Meehan was looking at several options for his next step after high school. Most of them were in New England. He described Xavier as his “reach school,” one that he got involved after the coach found him through a recruiting website last summer.

 

“I started doing some research on the school and thought I could be a pretty good fit there,” he said. “I went down, visited, fell in love with the campus, the people. Academics are great, there. There's a lot of involvement with community service, which is a big thing for me; they're a Jesuit institution. They really pride themselves on that.

 

“And athletically, it's a great opportunity. It's going to be a challenge, running in the Big East, where a couple of Berkshire County greats like Nik Andrews and Scott Carpenter have run.”

 

Carpenter of Lenox, is a senior all-America at Georgetown. Andrews, a 2010 Drury High grad, ran track at Providence College.

 

It is only fitting that Meehan follow in the footsteps of another Blue Devils great. As was noted at Wednesday’s ceremony, the son of former Drury coach Jay Meehan and former Drury Principal Amy Meehan literally took his first steps in Bucky Bullet Gymnasium.

 

“He's a great kid,” Buffoni said. :His mom and I started the same day at Drury High School 25 years ago. I've known literally since the day he was born. His dad and I coached football together back in the day. I've known him his whole life and known him on the track the last eight years because his sister ran for me before he did.”

 

For Wednesday’s signing, Connor was joined by his family and his Drury family.

 

“It's hard to describe everyone showing support for me, not just today but throughout the years,” he said. “The community's been awesome. Everyone at Drury High School -- it wouldn't have been possible without them. Seeing them here today, it made it a little sad that I'm leaving them, but with the background they've provided me, it gives me confidence I'll be able to succeed at the next level.”