Capital R, Respect

During her four years on the varsity, the 2009 alumna and 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee became the only player in program history to surpass 1,000 points (1,191, third on the all-time list) and 1,000 rebounds (1,017, first). She also recorded 246 steals (second) and dealt 151 assists (ninth), served as team captain her senior year, and earned three All-League of Independent Schools citations.

 

A 5-9 forward, she played the game with passion, dedication, joy, and boundless energy. Her positive presence was testament to her grace, sportsmanship, uncommon competitive spirit, and team-first, make-others-better mindset. She was a force, not just in the paint but, truly, all over the court and in the locker room as well.

 

It stands to reason, then, that the year after she graduated, when Coach Rives Fleming distributed uniforms, no one selected No. 12. Same thing the next year, and the next. No one has worn it since.

 

Why? Respect. Capital R, Respect. Sure, another player could don the jersey. None, though, could wear it as Dom had.

 

“They felt like Dom was an institution, a great player, and a great person,” Fleming said of the players in the post-Dominique era. “They felt like that by not wearing her number, they were honoring her.”

 

Meeks created a long and enduring highlight reel of memories. One of many was a moment in a game in the Jacobs Gym when she raced downcourt on a breakaway, only to have her layup attempt blocked into the wall by a hustling defender. Her response was to laugh, then high-five her opponent, then score on the ensuing in-bounds play, then sprint back to the other end of the court to play defense, then return the favor a few moments later.

 

“That’s Dominique in a nutshell,” said Fleming, who headed the girls basketball program from 1997-2024. “She played hard all the time. She was always a strong competitor, but she competed with a smile on her face.”

 

Indeed, she did. In fact, Meeks personified “fight and smile” before it was ever part of the Collegiate lexicon. Because of her manner and bearing, she was a role model and tone setter for her teammates and, truly, all who watched her compete.

 

“She was a senior when I was a 7th grader on the JV,” said Annie Hawthorne, a 2014 graduate, five-year varsity veteran, and head girls basketball coach at Hanover High School. “She was the hardest worker and a very caring person. During practice, she would go 110 percent, bodying people up left and right, and then she would walk off the court and have the biggest smile on her face and say Hi to little 7th grade me. She was always a leader and a mentor. She would go out of her way to make sure she was helping everybody and making basketball fun.”

 

Meeks went on to Haverford College, a Division III signatory near Philadelphia, and earned a B.S. in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration.

 

There she continued her athletic excellence. When she graduated in 2013, she was second on the Fords’ career list in points (1,141), rebounds (755), free throws made (255) and first in steals (299) and games started (100).

 

She displayed that same love for the sport and competitive spirit in volleyball and track and field.

 

At Collegiate, she played the former for four years and, as a senior, served as captain and earned All-LIS distinction.

 

She was a late arrival to the latter but quickly made her mark. She was a three-time LIS champ in the shot put (twice outdoors, once indoors) and achieved a personal best 38-4, a school record that stood for 13 years.  She was the co-recipient of the 2009 Reed Athletic Award. She also competed for four years at Haverford and stands fifth outdoors (37-8) and sixth indoors (37-11.25) on the school’s all-time shot put list.

 

“Dom had determination every time she stepped in the ring whether it was practice or a meet,” said Beth Kondorossy, Collegiate’s throws coach and head girls track coach. “She was always trying to throw farther. The mentality that she was going to use every opportunity to get better was instilled in her.

 

“Everybody around her wanted to be like Dom, so they did the same thing. There was a great culture within the throwing group when she was at Collegiate. In everything she did, she competed, whether it was in athletics or the classroom. She taught others what that meant, too.”

 

Meeks had obvious natural athletic ability, but she was able to achieve at levels faster, higher, and stronger than she might otherwise have because of her work ethic and her inner strength drawn from the inspiration of her mother Libby, who battled ALS for years yet always seemed to have a smile on her face. As her accomplishments and accolades piled up, Meeks remained genuine and humble, which is her nature, and outwardly unaffected because she was able to see a bigger picture.

 

“I’m typically very competitive,” Meeks said. “I really like that feeling of setting a goal and reaching it. I also think that because my mom was sick, being on the field was a release for me. It was like a sanctuary. I could let go of everything else that was going on.”

 

That said…

 

“Being a widow raising three children while having a chronic disease is something you could hang your head about, but she never did,” Meeks added. “She always kept me grounded. She showed me that something being hard wasn’t enough to make you stop.”

~Weldon Bradshaw