(Enlarge) Recent Park School grad Dawn Lee, the 2009 Baltimore Messenger Athlete of the Year, earned all-conference honors in both field hockey and basketball while running the defense of the Bruins’ IAAM B Conference championship lacrosse team. (Staff photo by Drew Anthony Smith)

Dawn Lee plays sports with a level of passion and intensity that is difficult to match.

Time and time again, the recent Park School graduate motivated her teammates as co-captain in basketball, lacrosse and field hockey to compete harder and play better.

"Everybody feeds off my energy," said Lee, 18. "When things are not going well, I think they look to me for motivation."

The 2009 Baltimore Messenger Athlete of the Year's lacrosse coach, Robin Cardin Lowe, agrees

"Dawn is one of those special athletes," said Cardin Lowe, who is also Park girls athletic director. "In every sport, she brings such a level of intensity and excitement to the field."

That drive and energy was never more apparent for Lee than during her senior year.

She earned Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference All-Star honors in both basketball and field hockey and anchored the championship lacrosse team's defense.

Lee may have made the greatest impact on the basketball team, earning a starting nod as a freshman and every year thereafter.

"She was our all-everything for four years," Park coach Kevin Coll said. "She was always near the top in both scoring and rebounding."

Her senior year turned out to be her strongest yet.

The 5-foot-7 power forward ranked first in rebounds (8.3 average) and second in scoring (11.0) for the Bruins (21-4), who lost to Friends in the IAAM B Conference final.

Lee often showed her toughness and athleticism in the low post.

"She is incredibly strong and fierce on one hand," Coll said. "On the other hand, she had this sort of athletic grace. It's a very rare combination and that's what set her apart. She had very soft hands. She caught the ball in the post, moved someone out of the way and dropped it softly in the basket."

Lee relished waging one-on-one inside battles with opponents.

"I like the physicality of basketball, posting up hard and getting the ball to the hoop any way possible," Lee said.

Coll said Lee was about more than just points and rebounds.

He said she served as a great role model for Park's younger players, especially his daughter Rose, a junior center.

"The girls really looked up to her," Coll said. "The impact she had on Rose was incredible," Coll said. "Rose took the lessons Dawn taught her to heart."

On the lacrosse field, Lee, a tenacious defender, marked the opponent's best attacker for the 15-2 Bruins.

"We needed her anchoring our defense," Cardin Lowe said. "She was our top defender, hands down. She prevented easy access to our goal."

The two-year starter and three-year varsity player ranked first on the team in blocks and was just as valuable to the Bruins' transition game.

"She was the catalyst," Cardin Lowe said. "She would make big defensive plays, come up with the ball and create our transition."

Lee played her best game of the season in the B Conference championship.

She helped the Bruins rally from a four-goal deficit to post a 12-11 victory over Friends, holding the Quakers scoreless in the final five minutes.

"She singlehandedly took out their big scorer (Katie Levy) in the last 10 1/2 minutes and created two big offensive breakouts," Cardin Lowe said.

In field hockey, Lee was known for her accurate and powerful free hits, which fueled the Bruin offense.

Like lacrosse, Lee played the sport for nine years.

"She probably had one of the best strokes and was one of the smoothest hitters in the area," Park assistant field hockey coach Jane McGough said. "If you look at (the strokes), they were technically proficient. She has been that way since she was a freshman."

Lee, a two-year starter at midfield, was the Bruins' defensive stopper.

"She is the goalie's best friend," McGough said. "She is always there for defensive stops, particularly on corner situations. I think she probably had at least six stick saves, which is a high number."

Of any game last fall, Lee stood out the most in a 1-0 upset victory over host Maryvale in which she neutralized Lion scoring threat Aliva Monteleone.

"She really contained her and frustrated her," McGough said. "I think she is probably the best player in the conference. You have a kid once every five years that probably has the skills that Dawn has and can back it up on the field."

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