Aru Venugopalan ’24
Jason Ni ’23
Andrew McMeekin ‘22 is known for his hard work and dedication both on and off the field. McMeekin explains how he began lacrosse by remarking, “I saw all the neighborhood kids were playing and I saw the older EA kids playing too. This led me to have great interest in lacrosse, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made.” He continues, “I started playing lacrosse in 4th grade. I had been playing baseball, but wanted to try something new. I went to my first lacrosse tryout for the Marple Township team in between a baseball playoff double-header.”
In addition to club lacrosse, McMeekin has been representing Episcopal Lacrosse since middle school. While playing for both club teams and the Episcopal Lacrosse teams, McMeekin has gained many accolades and accomplishments for his hard work and dedication to the sport. These range from being 1st team All-State, 1st team All-Delco, 1st team All-Inter-Ac, and a top 5 star rated recruit in the country.
McMeekin’s teammates and coaches are quick to compliment him on his work ethic and character. Chris Bates, Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach, states, “He is a very outspoken and humble kid. He diligently does his work in the classroom and is a high character member of the Episcopal community.” Bates continues, “On the lacrosse team, Andrew does not miss any practices or training sessions, and is always striving to become a better and stronger player.”
Teammate Matt McCarthy ‘22 remarks, “Andrew is an amazing teammate who is supportive no matter what. He is always there to uplift you, and specifically being our faceoff guy, he always makes sure to win the faceoff, giving us a huge advantage at the start of the game.” Charlie Maier ‘22, another of McMeekin’s teammates, adds, “Andrew is an extremely gritty player who isn’t afraid of throwing his body around to gain possession of the ball. He knows his role on the field and executes that role in a dominant fashion.”
People characterized McMeekin as a great leader and role model to the lacrosse team. As Bates remarks, “He always wants to be around the game and improve, and the passion he shows towards lacrosse rubs off on the other players.” He continues, “Andrew’s work whether it be on the field or in the weight room serves as a model and example for the rest of the team.” He shows his love for the sport through his passion and drive to be the best version of himself, which in turn inspires others, making him a great leader. McCarthy remarks, “Andrew sets a great example to all of the other players on the team. Whether we have come off a big loss or win, Andrew is always the first person you will see on the field or in the gym the next day. He always strives to be the best, and this motivation encourages other kids on the team to have this same passion to be the best player they can be.”
McMeekin always tries to inspire and encourage his teammates, always pushing them to their best by leading by example. Maier adds, “Andrew is a great teammate who puts in a lot of time in the off-season and does everything for the team’s benefit. I can’t wait to see Andrew’s hard work pay off this season.”
McMeekins’s favorite memory is from his junior year lacrosse season, when he helped bring the Episcopal Varsity Boy’s Lacrosse team much success. Bates Remarks, “He had an amazing junior year as a dominant force both as a faceoff player, and as an offensive player.” This success on the field led to Episcopal Lacrosse beating Haverford twice, with McMeekin’s favorite win being at home. Maier’s favorite memory of McMeekin are his frequent trips to Maryland. As Maier explains, “Andrew actively seeks out opportunities to improve. He works extremely hard behind the scenes, often getting other face off kids from around the east coast to come take reps with him. He also travels to Maryland on Saturday’s to take reps and then watch film on those reps. Knowing that I have a teammate who is so dedicated and hard working like Andrew always keeps me motivated to be the best I can.”
McMeekin is extremely thankful and grateful to his coaches and teammates for helping him persevere in his journey to become a competitive athlete at a collegiate level. At the beginning of his junior year, McMeekin accepted an offer to attend Princeton University as a student athlete. Bates remarks, “The talent level in collegiate lacrosse is substantially higher. However, Andrew’s work ethic, passion, and drive to be better at lacrosse will help him make the improvements necessary to have just as successful a college lacrosse career as he has had in high school.”
Photo Courtesy of Andrew McMeekin ’22