Sound the Horn:

By Jack Douglass

For senior point guard Megan Horn, the turning point for the Washington and Lee University women’s basketball team occurred in the sixth game of the 2022 season. The team had a 3-2 record entering the contest against the University of Mary Washington. Horn led the team with 17 points in a 73-68 win that set off a chain reaction of wins in 11 of their next 12 games.

On the season, Horn averaged 13.8 points per game and tallied 100 total assists, a star performance that earned her the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year award. She is the first W&L women’s basketball player to be named the ODAC Player of the Year since the 2001-2002 season. Jessica Mentz won it that year. Horn also was named to the All-America Honorable Mention list, making her only the fourth female player in program history to earn such an honor.

“I was surprised and excited,” she said.

The 5-foot-11 guard from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, joined the team in the fall of 2018, and has served as team captain for the past two years. Under her leadership, the Generals advanced to the NCAA tournament this year for the first time since 2010.

“When we recruited her, we were like this could be a ‘Player of the Year’ type player because of her size and her versatility … She can do a little bit of everything,” Head Coach Christine Clancy said. “Even just watching Megan play when she was in high school … I just saw so much potential in her game.”

The team entered this season ranked third in the ODAC. The Generals posted an overall record of 20-6 in the regular season, earning the top seed in the conference tournament. They lost in the conference semi-finals to Shenandoah University but still earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Horn made it her mission to improve the team every season. “Each year, the expectation of we want to be better and better rose,” she said. “We want to be good enough to be able to make the NCAA tournament.”

Clancy describes Horn as a team builder. The coach said Horn would often pull teammate Kathryn Vandiver into individual sessions to practice ways Horn could create more opportunities for Vandiver to score.

Vandiver said Horn’s leadership also extended off the court. “She’s such a good leader. She really pulls everyone in,” Vandiver said. “The amount of times we would go practice together, shoot together, even just go grab a meal together— she’s really good at making those connections. You can just tell how much fun she has with the sport.”

Teammate Erin Addison said Horn is selfless. “Meg is always going to be the one putting other people first,” Addison said. “She’s one of the best passers I’ve ever played with.”

Chemistry among players often determines whether they win or lose, in any sport. The W&L women are no different. Their motto this past season was “Strive Together,”