Lehigh University Athletics
Setting a Foundation for Future Success
11/7/2018 3:31:00 PM | Volleyball, Student Athlete, Features
By Josh Liddick, Lehigh Sports Communications
Her three and a half years at Lehigh University have been eventful on so many levels. Whether she was dominating on the volleyball court as a setter or in the classroom studying behavioral neuroscience, Megan Polak has excelled at pretty much every stage of her life, setting her up perfectly for a successful life after college.
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Polak is originally from Kirtland, Ohio about 23 miles northeast of Cleveland. She grew up in a family that lived and breathed volleyball, among so many other sports, so it's pretty safe to say that competition is in her DNA.
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"My sister played volleyball for Towson University and both of my parents played the sport, so I always grew up playing volleyball," said Polak. "My mom would take me to see her play in her leagues with my dad so that was my first intro experience to the sport."
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Growing up in Ohio and around the outdoors, Polak spent a lot of her childhood playing soccer, softball and even basketball.
Â
"My mom didn't want us in the house basically, so she was like 'play all the sports,'" Polak laughed.
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As a student at Gilmour Academy, Polak put her focus in getting prepared academically as well as being able to play volleyball in addition, something that really made her happy and something that always meant so much to her.
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"The school I went to was known for their volleyball team; they were really successful," Polak said. "But I was given a really great opportunity at Gilmour through the great academics and athletics, so I had to take it."
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While a student at Gilmour, Polak thrived on the volleyball court helping lead the Lancers to three state championship appearances in four years. At the time, she was also just the third player in Ohio history to record 3,000 assists for a career. But besides volleyball, it was the academic excellence and love of helping people that led her to Lehigh University in the end.
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"I loved volleyball so much it was such a big passion for me. I knew that I wanted to play at a competitive level and I wanted to really be pushing and challenging myself on the volleyball court," Polak said. "But I also recognized that I needed a solid foundation of education and Lehigh had behavioral neuroscience as a major which was my interest and was something that very few schools actually have. So that really drew my interest to Lehigh."
Â
Once she got to Lehigh and took in her entire educational experience, the more she fell in love with what she set out to do in her field.
Â
"I got to shadow at Iaccoca Hall where undergraduate research was done; I even talked to a professor who I now do research for," said Polak. "And I got to see his lab and was integrated into the whole process of working in that environment.
Â
"It was a really neat experience; it was the perfect combination of that challenge on the court and in the classroom. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but Lehigh had the major I wanted and it had all the tools that I could utilize in order to grow and expand."
Â
Megan knew that she had a special connection with her academic future at Lehigh, but her success in volleyball from high school carried over in perfect harmony at Lehigh.
Â
In three and a half seasons, Polak has compiled over 2,500 assists as a setter for the Mountain Hawks and is ranked in the top five all-time in program history. She's also helped the team to two Patriot League tournament appearances in her first three seasons. Her accomplishments on the court are incredible, but it's the relationships she's made and developed during her tenure that really have established the kind of person she has become and the professional she wants to be moving forward.
Â
"In a lot of ways, I view my experience of being a part of this volleyball team as my foundation," said Polak. "I had mentors coming in that I got to look up to and I got to learn from. I was able to try to figure out who I wanted to be myself, what characteristics that I possess so I can help others.
Â
"As you get older, you learn how to impart that knowledge and wisdom to help others grow themselves."
Â
The setter in volleyball is almost exactly like the role of the quarterback in football. The player decides who gets the ball at the right moment, ultimately setting them up for success. The same applies for Megan and how she plans on helping others once she gets her diploma in May and goes out into the world.
Â
"When you are on any sort of team, athletically or professionally, you have to learn how to communicate effectively with all different types of learners, all different types of individuals," said Polak. "So, just having that ability to be personable and to relate to others and to be able to speak effectively and to be heard, then applying that and getting feedback from it is just a huge benefit going into the field. You learn to speak with people who have different mindsets and different backgrounds as well.
Â
"My position in volleyball is setter, and the statistics we accumulate are assists. The point of my position is to know how to put my hitters and teammates in the best situations to be successful, so that has huge parallels to the medical field because you're trying to put people in positions to find success in their lives. Whether it's due to mental disorders or just overall general health, you try to best set them up for success and happiness."
Â
It seems like a lifetime ago that Megan was a high school senior looking forward to a great four years in higher learning. Â Polak worked so hard during her three and a half years, earning a 3.95 GPA and was named to the Academic All-District team. Now, the University will take everything she has learned from being at Lehigh and take it to the next level. Her all-around experience at Lehigh University is something that she will always look towards as being that foundation that has put her in position to succeed.
Â
"Overall, whether it's been on the court and in the classroom, this has definitely been a time of development and growth for me," Polak said. "What I will take away from my time here is that there's no obstacle that's too big that an individual or team can't overcome and it's just about being able to find the tools and the opportunities you can use to overcome them."
Â
Her three and a half years at Lehigh University have been eventful on so many levels. Whether she was dominating on the volleyball court as a setter or in the classroom studying behavioral neuroscience, Megan Polak has excelled at pretty much every stage of her life, setting her up perfectly for a successful life after college.
Â
Polak is originally from Kirtland, Ohio about 23 miles northeast of Cleveland. She grew up in a family that lived and breathed volleyball, among so many other sports, so it's pretty safe to say that competition is in her DNA.
Â
"My sister played volleyball for Towson University and both of my parents played the sport, so I always grew up playing volleyball," said Polak. "My mom would take me to see her play in her leagues with my dad so that was my first intro experience to the sport."
Â
Growing up in Ohio and around the outdoors, Polak spent a lot of her childhood playing soccer, softball and even basketball.
Â
"My mom didn't want us in the house basically, so she was like 'play all the sports,'" Polak laughed.
Â
As a student at Gilmour Academy, Polak put her focus in getting prepared academically as well as being able to play volleyball in addition, something that really made her happy and something that always meant so much to her.
Â
"The school I went to was known for their volleyball team; they were really successful," Polak said. "But I was given a really great opportunity at Gilmour through the great academics and athletics, so I had to take it."
Â
While a student at Gilmour, Polak thrived on the volleyball court helping lead the Lancers to three state championship appearances in four years. At the time, she was also just the third player in Ohio history to record 3,000 assists for a career. But besides volleyball, it was the academic excellence and love of helping people that led her to Lehigh University in the end.
Â
"I loved volleyball so much it was such a big passion for me. I knew that I wanted to play at a competitive level and I wanted to really be pushing and challenging myself on the volleyball court," Polak said. "But I also recognized that I needed a solid foundation of education and Lehigh had behavioral neuroscience as a major which was my interest and was something that very few schools actually have. So that really drew my interest to Lehigh."
Â
Once she got to Lehigh and took in her entire educational experience, the more she fell in love with what she set out to do in her field.
Â
"I got to shadow at Iaccoca Hall where undergraduate research was done; I even talked to a professor who I now do research for," said Polak. "And I got to see his lab and was integrated into the whole process of working in that environment.
Â
"It was a really neat experience; it was the perfect combination of that challenge on the court and in the classroom. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but Lehigh had the major I wanted and it had all the tools that I could utilize in order to grow and expand."
Â
Megan knew that she had a special connection with her academic future at Lehigh, but her success in volleyball from high school carried over in perfect harmony at Lehigh.
Â
In three and a half seasons, Polak has compiled over 2,500 assists as a setter for the Mountain Hawks and is ranked in the top five all-time in program history. She's also helped the team to two Patriot League tournament appearances in her first three seasons. Her accomplishments on the court are incredible, but it's the relationships she's made and developed during her tenure that really have established the kind of person she has become and the professional she wants to be moving forward.
Â
"In a lot of ways, I view my experience of being a part of this volleyball team as my foundation," said Polak. "I had mentors coming in that I got to look up to and I got to learn from. I was able to try to figure out who I wanted to be myself, what characteristics that I possess so I can help others.
Â
"As you get older, you learn how to impart that knowledge and wisdom to help others grow themselves."
Â
The setter in volleyball is almost exactly like the role of the quarterback in football. The player decides who gets the ball at the right moment, ultimately setting them up for success. The same applies for Megan and how she plans on helping others once she gets her diploma in May and goes out into the world.
Â
"When you are on any sort of team, athletically or professionally, you have to learn how to communicate effectively with all different types of learners, all different types of individuals," said Polak. "So, just having that ability to be personable and to relate to others and to be able to speak effectively and to be heard, then applying that and getting feedback from it is just a huge benefit going into the field. You learn to speak with people who have different mindsets and different backgrounds as well.
Â
"My position in volleyball is setter, and the statistics we accumulate are assists. The point of my position is to know how to put my hitters and teammates in the best situations to be successful, so that has huge parallels to the medical field because you're trying to put people in positions to find success in their lives. Whether it's due to mental disorders or just overall general health, you try to best set them up for success and happiness."
Â
It seems like a lifetime ago that Megan was a high school senior looking forward to a great four years in higher learning. Â Polak worked so hard during her three and a half years, earning a 3.95 GPA and was named to the Academic All-District team. Now, the University will take everything she has learned from being at Lehigh and take it to the next level. Her all-around experience at Lehigh University is something that she will always look towards as being that foundation that has put her in position to succeed.
Â
"Overall, whether it's been on the court and in the classroom, this has definitely been a time of development and growth for me," Polak said. "What I will take away from my time here is that there's no obstacle that's too big that an individual or team can't overcome and it's just about being able to find the tools and the opportunities you can use to overcome them."
Â
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