Prior to the spring of her sophomore year, now senior Maggie Leighton wasn’t thinking much about tennis, let alone being a part of the tennis team. However, thanks to a friend and some carefully crafted words from LHS girls’ tennis coach Daryl Robichaud, that all changed.
“One of the members on the tennis team, that I played on the volleyball team with, thought I would be a good addition to the team and told Coach Robichaud,” Maggie explained.
Coach Robichaud seized the opportunity.
“After my strong recruiting pitch to her in D-Wing during the winter of 2023, Maggie joined the team at the start of her sophomore season in March of that year,” Robichaud said.
Since that point, it has been a steady climb for Maggie, who is one of the tri-captains for the 2025 campaign.
“Having a veteran-laden roster of accomplished players ahead of her on the depth chart during her sophomore year, Maggie was relegated to only one match in which she paired with fellow rookie, Natalie Brady and won their respective debut at North Middlesex,” Robichaud said.
For her junior year, Maggie carved out a larger role for herself with her continued improved play.
“During her junior campaign, Maggie established herself as a valued member of the team, appearing in seventeen matches, posting an 11-6 record in those matches and most amazingly, earned match wins with seven different teammates at both First and Second Doubles, with five of those wins being with rookies playing in the first matches of their career,” Robichaud said.
Now a seasoned veteran, Maggie said she loves playing tennis and being a part of the LHS girls’ tennis team.
“I like collaborating with another teammate while playing doubles,” Maggie said. “Being up at the net is my favorite part because I can bring in techniques from other sports to make my playing better.”
“The team has a great balance of being competitive and having fun,” Maggie continued. “By the end of the season, the team feels like a family to me.”
Maggie said she has learned a lot from Coach Robichaud, especially considering she had never played tennis before appearing on the court for her coach back as a sophomore.
“I had never played tennis before making the team, so besides learning tennis from the very beginning, I’ve learned to not give up and not get in my head,” Maggie said.
Maggie will be attending Harvard University in the fall, where she will be studying Human Regenerative and Developmental Biology on the pre-med track. She hopes to play club or intramural tennis while she is there.
Here at LHS, Maggie is on the volleyball team in the fall, is the president of the Chorus, dance captain of Ignition Show Choir and member of the National Honor Society.
“My favorite class at LHS has been my Italian class,” Maggie said. “I started studying it as a freshman and am currently in AP Italian. My Italian teacher, Dr. Lajoie, is my favorite teacher, and last summer, she gave us the opportunity to travel to Italy on a class trip. It was an amazing experience to travel abroad and I hope to return to practice my language soon.”
Maggie stays busy outside of school as well.
“I have been dancing since I was a little girl and am currently preparing for my senior year recital,” Maggie said. “I have also been studying the piano for 10 years. I have been busy around the state in my role as Miss Massachusetts’ Teen, and am currently organizing a concert to benefit school music programs.”
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