By Calvin Sports Information Director Jeff Febus

When it comes to the game of lacrosse, Calvin's Megan Gilbert strives to be in the thick of the action. As a senior midfielder, Gilbert has done that and more during her career, smashing her way through the Calvin record book.

Gilbert recently became Calvin's all-time leader in goals and draw controls, setting both records in a span of a few weeks.  Heading into the week, she has 436 draw controls and 229 goals in her career.

DRAW CONTROL SPECIALIST

As Calvin's draw control specialist, Gilbert is frequently counted on to give the Knights ball possession. She has done so at an astonishing rate, averaging 11.4 draw controls per game which leads Division III. When asked about the keys to winning a draw control, Gilbert says, "I just try to get a lot of weight on the ball and try to push it my way. It comes down to having a mindset of I'm going to be the last person to touch the ball, and by doing that, I can direct it the way I'm going to go."

As a two-way player, Gilbert is involved in Calvin's defense and offense, frequently back-checking opponents and then leading the attack from the top of the attacking zone. She has been highly accurate on free position shots, converting 38-of-80 attempts into goals in her career including 7-of-14 this season.

She has assisted on 30 goals in her career and as a fifth-year senior, has been called upon to get the rest of her teammates involved in the offensive attack.

As a midfielder, she is asked to play both offense and defense while getting her teammates involved in the offense. "I guess I'm a leader on offense. They depend on me to score but that's not my main job," she says. "I want to help my teammates score and I want to help make some cool team plays. If that means I feed (the ball) or help someone else feed or move out of the way to help a teammate make a great dodge to the goal, that's great. On the defensive side, I just love playing midfield. It helps me stay mentally involved and never stop giving my best effort."

BUILDING NEW IDEAS AND STRUCTURES

Gilbert is using her added NCAA Covid-year of eligibility this spring. The decision to play a fifth year was an easy one as she was scheduled to return to Calvin for an added year after changing her major to civil engineering during her sophomore year.

"I came in undecided my freshman year academically and during my sophomore year I decided to major in civil engineering. When I made that move, I knew I was going to be here for a fifth year," said Gilbert. "When covid happened, the extra NCAA (eligibility) year made the decision to play a fifth year easy for me."
Gilbert plans to work in the construction field and has already accepted a job as a construction engineer with AEcom in Grand Rapids.

She is part of a Calvin student senior design team that has designed a roof water storage tank that collects rain water with a filtration system as well as an automatic back-flushing system.

When asked why she chose engineering as a major and as a career, Gilbert says: "I really just like to see cool things being built." She credits Professor Leonard DeRoy for inspiring her towards the field of civil engineering. "My engineering 202 class with Professor DeRoy was my first structural engineering class and really made me want to be a civil engineer. It helped teach me how things work and how a building is built from the ground up."

BUILDING AN ATHLETICS CAREER

Gilbert's career as an athlete was built around a variety of sports at a young age. Growing up in Lansing, she was involved in gymnastics for several years. As a prep athlete at Holt High School, she played volleyball, basketball and soccer but ultimately elected to go with lacrosse, a sport she has played since the seventh grade. "I've enjoyed all of the sports I've played but lacrosse is the one I've enjoyed the most," said Gilbert.

Calvin head women's lacrosse coach Blake Boehm is glad she did. "Megan is an incredibly gifted player, a phenomenal teammate, and an absolute joy to coach," said Boehm. "Her work ethic and commitment to constant improvement has allowed her to developed into the most influential player in our league. Offensively, she's a threat with or without the ball and makes plays happen for herself and her teammates regardless of how she's defended. On the defensive end, she's a lock down defender that we trust to match-up with anyone. At the draw, her quickness and technique makes one of the hardest skills to master look effortless and automatic. She has been a leader for our team both on and off the field."

Stepping into the spotlight of being a fifth-year senior is something Gilbert enjoys. "It's actually really enjoyable," said Gilbert. "As a freshman and sophomore, you're just getting to know the team and getting accustomed to college life. As a junior and senior you get to lead and as a fifth-year senior, it's a bonus year to lead. I love getting to know the freshmen and helping them in any way I can."

WHY CALVIN/WHY D3

When asked how she chose Calvin, Gilbert is succinct. "My sister came here. I love the location. I love the Christian aspect of the institution and I love the size," she says.

In terms of why she chose a Division III institution to compete at, she loved the aspect of what Division III had to offer. "I wasn't into the whole recruitment side of lacrosse," she said. "I was looking for a school where I could get a good education and enjoy life outside of my sport and yet still play a game that I love so much."

Balancing the demands of her academics and athletics work hand in hand. "I definitely think having an agenda and writing a 'to-do' list down is important," said Gilbert. "Also taking two hours of practice each afternoon with the idea of not focusing or worrying about school is important to me. I need a bit of a release and lacrosse is that for me."