LEONARDTOWN, Md. (June 9, 2011)—Ms. Cara McLaughlin, a senior at Leonardtown High School, was recently named as one of eight senior high school athletes across the state to receive a 2011 Minds in Motion Scholarship provided by the Allstate Corporation. Ms. McLaughlin received a check for $1,000 at a luncheon held at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD, on June 1.
The Minds in Motion scholarship program is a highly competitive program which awards $1,000 toward post-secondary education to four female and four male senior student athletes who attend a Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) School and participate in MPSSAA recognized sports.
Ms. McLaughlin participated in soccer, and both indoor and outdoor track and field all four years during high school. In soccer she was a Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) All-Conference selection during her junior and senior years. She won three consecutive SMAC Championships and two Regional titles, and was the starting center midfield player on the state championship team in 2008. She was team captain during her senior year.
Ms. McLaughlin has been an integral part of four consecutive SMAC Track and Field Championships and two consecutive Regional Track and Field Championships in outdoor track. This year in the 4A State Track and Field Championships she placed 3rd in the 4x800 meter relay and 11th in the 800 meters. She captained both the indoor and outdoor track teams this year. She was also voted Most Outstanding Player on the outdoor track and field team this season.
Ms. McLaughlin has excelled academically while participating in 12 consecutive sport seasons. She has completed her high school studies with a weighted grade point average of 4.44. She is a member of the Leonardtown High School National Honor Society and has been on the Highest Honor Roll from 2007-2011. Next year, she plans to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) where she will be studying engineering.