Recruiting Profile
Countdown: Buell Heads Off to the Generals
by
Ali Jones, 22 March 2011
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Meghan Buell took to the tennis courts at the tender age of five, inevitably following her family's tradition.
Meghan Buell will travel to Lexington, Va. this fall
© Doug Wrege, TennisRecruiting.net
John Buell Sr., Meghan's grandfather, won the Missouri state doubles title in 1946 and was a longtime high school coach in St. Louis. Her father, John Jr., finished third in 1978 and two cousins, Steve and Tom Buell, won the Texas state doubles title in 2010.
In 2009, during her junior year, Meghan joined the family's list of champions when she and her partner won the Ohio state doubles title.
As an added bonus for the Buell family, Meghan's hometown city of New Albany, Ohio, named November 11, 2009 Meghan Buell and Maddie Kobelt Day, in honor of the pair's state win.
Keeping an eye on the excitement in Ohio were college coaches, among them Eric Ishida, head coach at Washington and Lee, who's kept Buell on his short list.
In early 2011, after a phone call and an official visit, the 2009 state champion verbally committed to the Generals.
"I wanted to play Division III tennis because I wanted the full college experience - not just tennis and school," Buell said. "I chose Washington and Lee because I felt really comfortable with [Coach Ishida]. He called me and we had like a 45-minute conversation. I really liked him, and after my visit I knew it was the right fit for me."
Buell also looked closely at Emory and Tufts.
"Academics are really important," Buell said. The 4.0 student, who's been on the Honor Roll all throughout high school, is on track to graduate valedictorian. She plans to keep up her outstanding academic credentials in college as well as to play topnotch Generals tennis, who are defending Old Dominion Athletic Conference champs.
In college, Buell hopes to "develop my game, be more consistent, improve upon everything, basically."
