The Mustang Athletic Hall of Fame Committee for Meridian High School (formerly George Mason High School) has elected nine athletes and one team as its 2024 Hall of Fame Class. The class, plus three athletes who were previously elected, will be honored at ceremonies to be conducted on October 25-26 – the tenth induction in school history. They join 59 athletes, seven coaches/administrators, eight teams, and one program supporter who have already been inducted into or recognized by the Hall. The Class of 2024 includes the following honorees, their graduation dates or season, and their accomplishments:
Jeff Anderson (1993) – Named the school’s outstanding male athlete his senior year, Jeff was a star in both football and track and field. He garnered All-District and All-Region honors as a linebacker and offensive lineman in football and was Honorable Mention All-Met (linebacker) as a senior. He later had a stellar football career at Hampden-Sydney College where, as a middle linebacker, he was a pre-season All-American and a First Team All-Conference selection. In college, Jeff set the school’s mark for career tackles – a record that lasted for 24 years.
Paul Mene (2006) – An exceptional three sport athlete in golf, basketball, and baseball, Paul won First Team All-District honors in each sport. In golf, he set the low score nine hole school record. In basketball, he helped lead the team to the regional semi-finals his senior year and was selected to the Second Team All-Region squad. In baseball, he was First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region as an outfielder his junior and senior years. After high school, Paul starred in baseball at Union College where he won four letters, was named All-Conference Honorable Mention, and was selected as team co-captain his senior year.
Lauren Kane (2012) – A premier basketball player, Lauren was a standout on three state championship teams and scored 1,036 points during her career. She won numerous All-District and All-Region honors as well as First Team All-State recognition her senior year when her clutch free throws down the stretch helped clinch a state championship for the Lady Mustangs.
Max Kaplow (2012) – One of the most accomplished and versatile baseball players in Mustang history, Max was District Player of the Year and First Team All-District as both a pitcher and first baseman his junior year. He was also named to the First Team All-Region squad as a first baseman and Second Team All-Region as a pitcher that year. His senior year, Max was First Team All-District as a pitcher and won the school’s outstanding male athlete-scholar award. After graduation, Max pitched at George Washington University and received its Jackie Robinson Award for best reflecting the attributes of that sports legend.
Ned Quill (2015) – In the storied history of Mustang boys’ soccer, Ned’s accomplishments are especially notable — three year captain; three state championships; three time First Team All-District, All-Region, and All-State defender; First Team All-Met his senior year; and Virginia’s All-State Class 2A Male Athlete of the Year (2014-15). In addition, Ned was All-District in cross-country and a member of two state championship swim teams. As a senior, he was awarded the school’s outstanding male athlete-scholar.
Ava Roth (2015) – Ava’s career exemplifies the dominance of Mustang girls’ soccer during her era. She was a four-time First Team All-District, All-Region, and All-State selection. Her teams won four state championships, and, in her senior year, she was State Player of the Year and Second Team All-Met. Ava still holds the school records for single season and career goals. After graduation, she continued her soccer career at Lehigh University. In basketball, Ava was a two year varsity player and a member of the 2012 state championship team. Her senior year, she was selected as the school’s outstanding female athlete.
Justin Britton (2017) – Justin won 11 state championships in boys’ swimming — four individual (two each in the 50 yard free and 100 yard back) and seven relay (two each in the 200 yard medley and the 200 yard free and three in the 400 yard free). During his career, the team itself won three state championships and one state runner-up. Justin still holds the school record in the 50 yard free. His senior year, he was selected as the school’s outstanding male athlete. After high school, Justin was an All-American swimmer at Carnegie Mellon University where he set numerous school records.
Rebecca Crouch (2017) – In girls’ soccer, Rebecca won numerous All-District and All-Region accolades, and was named First Team All-State three times. She was State Player of the Year her junior year, and her teams won state championships each of the four years of her career. Rebecca was selected Second Team All-Met both her junior and senior years. After graduation, she played intercollegiate soccer at the University of South Florida and Georgia State.
Sarah Lubnow (2017) – The quintessential three sport athlete, Sarah starred in field hockey, girls’ basketball, and girls’ lacrosse. In field hockey, she currently ranks tied for third in single season goals (16) and fourth in career goals (25). In basketball, she was twice a First Team All-Conference honoree. But, she made a special mark in lacrosse where she was First Team All-District four times, First Team All-Region three times, and First Team All-State twice. In her senior year, Sarah led the team to a state championship and was designated State Player of the Year. She is still second in the school’s record book for career goals, assists, draw controls, and points. Sarah was tabbed the school’s outstanding female athlete her senior year. Following graduation, she had an exemplary career in women’s lacrosse at Virginia Tech where she set the school record for career assists and was named Second Team All-Conference and an Honorable Mention All-American her senior year.
2017 Girls’ Lacrosse Team – Compiled an 18-2 record under Coach Courtney Gibbons, winning the district regular season and tournament championships, the regional runner-up, and the state championship where they avenged their only losses of the season by upsetting the team that had beaten them twice. They were the first — and, to date, the only — Mustang team to win a state championship in a state classification higher than their own, capturing the 4A state championship as a 2A school.
Three other athletes — Grant Goodwin (2016 – boys’ soccer), D’Montae Noble (2016 – football, boys’ basketball, and track), and Miller Surette (2016 – boys’ swim) will also be inducted. They were elected to the Hall Class of 2023 but were unable to attend ceremonies at that time.