Severna Park’s Slattery Named National Athlete Of The Year By Coaches

Lila Slattery already has a long list of accolades  from her exploits playing for the Severna Park field hockey team this past fall; Slattery received multiple player-of-the-year awards from local and regional media after leading the Falcons to a 4A state championship.

This January, Slattery added a national recognition to her resume: she was named National Senior Field Hockey Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association.

She is the first Maryland resident to receive the recognition since 2001 and just the third from Maryland in the 21-year history of the NHSCA’s National Senior Field Hockey Athlete of the Year award.

“I am very honored and humbled to receive this award because it represents the whole nation,” said Slattery, who will continue her field hockey career at Northwestern University next year. “I’m proud to receive it because [the NHSCA] doesn’t only factor in athletics but also values the athlete as a whole, with their school and extracurricular activities.”

As Slattery mentioned, the award is given for a student who exemplifies excellence on and off the athletic field. Slattery has a 4.41 weighted GPA, is the editor-in-chief of the Severna Park yearbook and is the secretary for the National Honor Society.

On the field, Slattery was simply dominant in 2019. She amassed 22 goals and 18 assists in leading Severna Park to its record 24th state championship. She finished her career with 51 goals and 35 assists.

“My mindset when it comes to the sport and awards and everything is kind of like the awards are nice to have, but the only thing that really matters is how you play in person, and how you perform where it really matters,” said Slattery. “An award won’t win a game for you, but the skill and hard work will. With all of this in mind, I am more driven to work harder and be better because college hockey is a much higher level and I just have to be ready to play when I get there because that’s the most important part of the game.”

Excited for the future, Slattery is grateful to the people who have helped her achieve success so far.

“I’m extremely thankful for my coaches, parents, and everyone else who has helped me along the way,” she said.