Caledon Citizen’s Student Athlete of the Week: Three-sport star Meek moves to McMaster University after capturing Senior Athlete of the Year Honors at Mayfield

August 8, 2024 · 0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

Mayfield Secondary School graduate Rosie Meek enjoyed a magnificent run during her last two sports seasons competing for the Mavericks.

The three-sport, Honor Roll student-athlete excelled in Cross Country Skiing, Track, and Rugby to capture Senior Athlete of the Year honors and cap off her career at Mayfield.

Based on her sterling performances in the classroom and on the slopes, track, and pitch as a Maverick, Coach Marcia Baker acknowledged that, “Rosie is headed to McMaster University to study in the Faculty of Engineering and to race Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field.”

Coach Baker described Meek, who will specialize in Biomedical Engineering at McMaster and compete as a two-sport CIS athlete with the Marauders, as “talented, hardworking, resilient, and coachable.”

She also provided an academic context for Meek’s feats in three sports.

“Rosie is a hardworking, high-achieving Honors student. She’s involved with the Mayfield Athletic Association and is a quiet leader.”

What impressed the Mavericks Coach the most about Meek is “Rosie’s dedication to training and her coachability. Also impressive was Rosie’s raw talent with running mechanics. Rosie has accomplished a great deal in the few short years she has been a competitive runner.”

Coach Baker highlighted a number of performances that Meek turned in during her Grade 11 season.

“She placed 3rd at ROPSSAA XC Championships, 1st at the Nordic ROPSSAA Championships and 8th overall at OFSAA. Rosie also competed for the Varsity girls’ rugby team ROPSSAA Champions and OFSAA gold medalists.”

Coach Baker also highlighted Meek’s big performance moments in her challenging Grade 12 season.

“At the Pre-ROPSSAA races, she placed top five, but was injured for the ROPSSAA Championships. Rosie placed 1st in Nordic skiing at ROPSSAA and 4th overall at OFSAA. In Track and Field, while still injured, Rosie completed alternate training such as water running and biking to train for the season. As a first-time track athlete, competing against veteran athletes, Rosie placed 5th in the 3000m and 6th in the 1500m at ROPSSAA Championships. The 5th-place finish qualified her for South Regionals where the top five from Peel, Halton, and Hamilton (Public and Catholic boards) compete for four spots to qualify for OFSAA. Rosie placed 4th which qualified her to compete at the OFSAA Championships at Western University.”

Rosie Meek took time from her summer holidays and busy preparations to attend McMaster University to answer our interview questions:

Caledon Citizen: What qualities did you demonstrate in your sports season to earn Student Athlete of the Week honors?

Rosie Meek: “For the winter sports season, I earned my Athlete of the Week for both my performance and leadership within the Nordic skiing team. As most of our team was new to skiing, I used my experience to help teach my teammates little tips as tricks to make them better and happier skiers. Overall, our team was able to send four skiers to the OFSAA provincial championships!”

Caledon Citizen: What were your key statistics and performance moments from the 2023-24 season that you are most proud of?

Rosie Meek: “In the 2023-24 Nordic skiing season, I placed first in the Peel Regional championships and fourth in the OFSAA provincial championships in the senior girls’ division.”

Caledon Citizen: In addition to your high school sports team(s), what other community teams do you play for and at what level?

Rosie Meek: “After playing competitive hockey for most of my life, I have recently switched to playing endurance sports. Outside of school, I train and race in triathlons with the C3 Cross Training Club in Caledon in both draft and non-draft race divisions.”

Caledon Citizen: How would you describe yourself as a student at Mayfield? To which sports teams and clubs do you belong? Honor Roll?

Rosie Meek: “ln addition to the Nordic skiing team, I raced both XC running and Track and Field at Mayfield this school year. At Mayfield, I am a very involved student-athlete and always encourage others to try something new. Thus I don’t just play sports at Mayfield, but also help to organize sports events, fundraisers, and charity drives for our school and surrounding community as vice-president of Mayfield Athletic Association. Outside of athletics, I engaged in Mayfield academics by being a peer tutor for both math and science. I graduated with both an Honour Roll and Ontario Scholar.”

Caledon Citizen: What are your post-secondary plans regarding prospective academic/athletic destinations?

Rosie Meek: “In the Fall, I will be pursuing my academic and athletic desires at McMaster University, where I will be running both cross-country and track and field for the school team as well as studying in the BioMed Engineering program.”

Caledon Citizen: Who is your role model in terms of the person you admire the most?

Rosie Meek: “Lucy Charles Barclay, an English professional triathlete who has won numerous World Ironman and 70.3 Championships, is a person I admire both in sport and her impact within the sporting community. Along with excelling in triathlon, Charles Barclay helps to break down financial and societal barriers that women unequally face in professional sports. Her transparency about injuries, the importance of listening to your body while training, in addition to prioritizing mental health for performance, are also principles I admire and strive to reciprocate in my training.”

Caledon Citizen: How do you feel about being nominated as The Caledon Citizen’s Student-Athlete of the Week?

Rosie Meek: “As The Caledon Citizen’s Student athlete of the week, I feel honoured to represent the successes of endurance sports at Mayfield, showing the accompanying exceptional coaching and support that is present within our school. I am very excited to share team’s and my successes to show just how amazing Mayfield Athletics is.”