For their accomplishments both in the classroom and in their respective athletic fields, Newburyport High junior golf star Jack Oreal and Gloucester High three-sport senior Keagan Jewell have been chosen as the Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month for September.
If Jewell isn’t busy, then you know something is wrong.
Speaking to her athletic endeavors, that looks like a full three-season plate between field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse. Currently, Jewell and her Gloucester field hockey team (10-1-3) are ranked No. 13 in the latest MIAA Division 3 power poll. She’s been a four-year starting goalie and two-year captain for the Fishermen, and across her field hockey career, she’s been named All-Northeastern Conference First Team and a Northeastern Conference Second Team All-Star.
The Fishermen are fresh off a 3-0 blanking of rival Swampscott on Tuesday, where Jewell increased her school record in shutouts to 43.
“I didn’t really have (breaking the school record) in mind when I started high school,” said Jewell. “It wasn’t really until my junior year when I started to think that it was something I could do. So I’m proud of it. But this season has definitely been a lot of fun. We’ve got an experienced team, and I think it’s our time to shine.”
Jewell has been just as prolific in ice hockey, too, where in a couple of months she’ll enter her senior season already with a school-record 76 career points. She’s been a two-year captain and two-time Team MVP in that sport as well, along with being named a two-time All-Northeastern Conference All-Star. Then in lacrosse, she won the team’s Rookie of the Year award as a freshman, and this upcoming spring she’ll complete her run of being a two-year captain in all three sports.
And that excellence has been matched in the classroom.
With an exceptional 99.85 GPA (out of 100), Jewell is ranked well inside of the top-10 percent of her class — and she believes top-15 overall individually. She’s maintained straight-As throughout high school while loading up on all Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Then besides her athletics and academics, Jewell is also: a Student Council Representative, a member of the Gender Equity in Stem and Racial Equity and Advocacy clubs, the Secretary of the Interact Club, a Mental Health Ambassador and a National Honor Society inductee.
“Since I was little, I’ve always pushed myself to do well in school because I’ve always wanted the best for myself,” said Jewell, who is still undecided on college but wants to focus her studies in the biological fields. “I’ve just really pushed for the best. There’s been a lot of late nights, and sometimes you have to give up some of your social life to get the work done. But school has always come first.”
Meanwhile for Oreal, don’t ask to pick a favorite between golf and baseball.
The two sports are still neck-and-neck for the reigning Cape Ann League and Newburyport Daily News Golf MVP, who just wrapped up a junior regular season that saw him average a team-high 33 quota points per match (sub-40 stroke score in every match). He led Newburyport (13-1) to the CAL Kinney championship, and just placed T10 at the Division 2 North Sectional with a 7-over 78 at Bradford Country Club — punching his ticket to the State Meet as an individual. Last fall as a sophomore he fired a 2-under round at the famed Essex County Club for a record 40 quota points, then matched that record this year with another 2-under 40 points at Haverhill Country Club.
“This season was awesome,” said Oreal, who this summer climbed to the No. 4-ranked golfer out of 313 in the NEPGA Jr. Tour’s 16-18 age group. “We won the CAL for the first time in my career, and the team chemistry was just great this year, we had a lot of great guys.”
Then in baseball, last spring Oreal was also named both a Cape Ann League and Newburyport Daily News All-Star, posting a 3-2 record with a 2.46 ERA. He is a captain-elect for the upcoming spring, and has been a volunteer coach for the beloved Buddy Ball organization — which gives youth with special needs the chance to play.
“It’s pretty close right now,” laughed Oreal when asked between golf and baseball. “I’ve been playing golf since I was five. I want to play something in college, but I’m not sure which sport yet.”
Where there’s no debate for Oreal, though, is with his work in the classroom.
Newburyport High School doesn’t do class rank, but with a 4.78 GPA, Oreal is believed to be in the top-5 of individuals in his class. A straight-A student, he is currently taking thee AP classes (Language, Statistics and Chemistry) with two other Honors courses, but hasn’t blinked even with the rigorous schedule. Last year he won the Honors Math Award, given to the student with the highest grade average for the 2024-25 school year.
“I try to treat academics like golf and baseball, where I’m pretty competitive and want the best,” said Oreal. “I’ve always been a pretty dedicated student and tried to take the hardest classes. But I feel like I’ve always had good time management. I have a free block in school to get stuff done, but most days I get home from golf around 7:30 then stay up to midnight studying.”
Kyle Gaudette, Newburyport Daily News sports editor
