Brother-Sister Lax Players Reach Milestone Achievement

Having your sibling serving on the opposite sex version of your high school athletic team may not seem so unique to many, but achieving a major athletic milestone on the same day as that sibling is truly something special.

That was exactly what happened for Jake and Abby Haimson, two students who both scored their 100th goals in their girls and boys varsity lacrosse careers on May 12. 

"I don't think I would have been able to get it without my teammates," Abby Haimson said.

Haimson, a sophomore, said she was inspired by her older brother, Jake, a junior, to start playing lacrosse in middle school. She and a bunch of her friends began playing and have been hooked ever since, she said. Now both siblings play for the varsity teams.

Montville Girls' Varsity Lacrosse Coach Jen Mulvaney said the sibilings both playing lacrosse is somewhat unusual.

"I've never had it happen," she said. "I don't have that many brother-sister duos playing lacrosse but I have to say, it's a pretty unique situation."

But Mulvaney also said that she is not surprised Haimson reached her 100th goal at this point in her high school lacrosse career. Mulvaney said Haimson had 34 goals as a freshman.

"She plays midfield for us, so she's not just contributing on our offensive end, she plays defense as well. She takes as much pride in setting up her teammates as she does scoring herself," she said.

Boys Varsity Lacrosse Coach Rick DeBonta had similar things to say about Jake Haimson.

"Overall, he's done a great job," he said. "He's leading our school team in terms of goals, might be second overall in terms of points. He's a real good kid, works hard."

DeBonta said sometimes, Jake Haimson's teammates poke fun at him when his sister is doing well, comparing the two, but all in good fun.

"From the coaching perspective, I think we give him the hardest time because we expect a lot out of him," DeBonta said.

Both Jake and Abby Haimson said they were surprised to learn of each other's accomplishments but neither knew who technically hit the 100 goal mark first.

"It was just really exciting. When I heard he got it on the same day, I was in like shock," Abby Haimson said.

"I thought it was pretty awesome, you know, we both work really hard so it's really special for both of us," Jake Haimson said.

The girls team is scheduled to play Northern Highlands at 5 p.m. (away) Monday and the boys will face Millburn High School in the second round of the NJSIAA Tournament Tuesday at 4 p.m. at home.