Indian Creek’s Bunker making history on field
As British lacrosse stars passed around newborn Megan Bunker in the house next door nearly two decades ago, her future holding a stick was set.
Indian Creek lacrosse coach Steve Willett knew his captain all the way back then, as her neighbor. He figured since he hosted a British lacrosse exchange, he might as well get her thrown into lacrosse early, though he’d be proud of the way Bunker would pick up different sports through her life, and rise to the top of each.
“She was kissed by the lacrosse gods,” Willett said.
Bunker, a senior dual-sport athlete at Indian Creek School in Crownsville, doesn’t really know what it’s like to not be at the center of her sports. One of her two statistical achievements came to fruition March 27, when she stood in the middle of her home field with her parents, grinning and holding a sign that celebrated the 100th career goal she’d just scored in the opening minutes of a 23-0 blowout over Chapelgate — a feat even more impressive when considering she lost her junior season to the pandemic.
On Wednesday, the midfielder made more history at her school by becoming Indian Creek’s all-time leading scorer, as Bunker’s eight points on seven goals against Pallotti were more than she needed to eclipse the previous mark set by 2019 graduate Sarah Mathes of 178. Bunker will carry 122 goals and 63 assists, as well as 383 draw controls, into her next game for the unbeaten Eagles (7-0).
Leadership came naturally on the field and the court.Willett noticed teammates flocked to Bunker and as a sophomore named her captain. She’s the first threeyear captain he’d ever had.
Bunker was tall and more mature for her age, Willett said. She’d be first in line to try a new lesson or jump over to guide less experienced players, and Her hard work and gifts led her to pulling draws from the get-go, scoring plenty of assists.
“You see a high-goal scorer, they wouldn’t know what an assist looks like. … Megan, she plays a total game and people respect that,” Willett said. “She’s digging out ground balls, playing defense. She’s not at all about the statistics.”
Bunker served as captain for two years in basketball, too. Among an inexperienced team in 2020, Bunker carried the scoring load and this year, she was at the root of most of the good plays.
Leadership took on a new meaning this past year. When the pandemic struck, Bunker lost her spring lacrosse season just as countless athletes across the nation did. But when fall rolled around, private school athletes at nearby St. Mary’s, Archbishop Spalding, Annapolis Area Christian School returned to competitions.
Bunker’s school did not.
Now, she wasn’t a fall athlete. She had nothing to lose with that particular season’s absence, but that didn’t matter to her. She’d learned how to speak to her coaches, the school with the voices of her teammates already. This was no different.
“It really made me want to give other student-athletes a voice in that situation,” Bunker said. “After hearing from everybody how frustrated they were and how important sports were and how [the absence] was affecting their mental health, I really just wanted to give them a place to, you know, voice those concerns, voice that sports were so important to them.”
Bunker spearheaded a petition that accrued 224 signatures. Along with other athletes, she held conversations with the school administration.
Her work directly led to Indian Creek’s decision to expand practices in the fall and tentatively hold November exhibition competitions, until the late-fall coronavirus spike shut down athletics in Anne Arundel County.