After Breaking CVHS Sports Records, Meador Heads to U.S. Naval Academy

“My mindset is always that we’re going to win,” said basketball player Erin Meador. “I tell people it’s totally a mental game. You have to have confidence in yourself and your team that you can beat anyone; will is greater than skill.” 

The senior athlete, among the most accomplished basketball players in CVHS history, demonstrates a winning combination of both.

On February 8 she became the school’s third player to score 1,000 career points, a feat she almost didn’t see coming. Head Coach Wallace Horton had told her that her point total was nearing 1,000, but Meador was unsure of when she’d break the barrier. When she finally did during a game against Oakton, her record-breaking basket was met with a standing ovation from the crowd. “It made me realize how much I had achieved,” she said. 

Though Meador’s 1,000-plus point total is an impressive accomplishment, it’s hardly her only one. She holds Centreville High’s record for the most free throws made, 295 as of Tuesday night, and tied the school record for the most points scored in a single game, 31. This season she’s averaged 19.8 points per game in the district, 17.5 points per game overall. In addition, Meador was recently named to the First Team All-District for the second year in a row. 

Her junior year, while serving as Team Captain, Meador earned an All-Region Honorable Mention. As a sophomore she was awarded MVP in the South River Holiday Tournament in Maryland and played for the Wildcats in the Northern Region Tournament her freshman year.

Outside of high school athletics, Meador has played AAU basketball since she was nine. Now a member of the Fairfax Stars Nike Elite Team, Meador has been selected for induction into the Stars Hall of Fame.  

Meador joined the CVHS team as a timid, yet ambitious freshman, the only one to make Varsity. “I looked up to all the upperclassmen,” she said. “They were my idols.”

Today, the situation has changed. “I’ve definitely gone from being the person who made all the mistakes to the person who has the most responsibility on the team,” she said. 

Meador is proud of her teammates and hopes to leave them with the message that attitude is everything. “If you work hard and want to win, you can win.” Before the start of each game the team huddles up and shouts “Refuse to lose!” three times, a tradition Meador started.

“She’s every coach’s dream,” Coach Horton said of Meador. “If you ask her to do something...she’ll get it done. She has no fear.” 

Meador’s bold playing style has been lauded by other district teams. Oakton Coach Fred Priester said, “Erin shares traits with all successful players--a strong work ethic, a competitive spirit, and a desire to excel. It is the combination of traits that all athletes should seek to emulate.” 

Off the court Meador is a National Honor Society student with a 4.1 GPA, is involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and is a longtime Girl Scout. She also volunteers with Special Olympics basketball teams through the ExxonMobil Helping Hands Program.

Meador attributes much of her success to the consistent support of her parents, Tom and Mary. She recalls the moment she scored her 1,000th point, “I looked up at my mom and dad. They had these huge smiles on their faces and I thought, wow, here they are a thousand points later. They were there for the first one and there for the thousandth one. I’m sure they’ll be there to watch me in college.”

After being recruited by a number of top colleges, including several Ivy League universities, Meador decided to play for the U.S. Naval Academy in the fall. She was attracted by the unique opportunities the school would provide her with both during and after college. “The atmosphere drew me in...I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. Meador also respected the attitude of her future teammates. She explained, “All the girls on the [Navy] team seemed to have a strong will to succeed in everything they did, and that made a real impact on me.” 

Though her next venture will be a big adjustment from high school basketball, Meador is prepared to give it her all.

“I’m definitely ready for college to start, to play at the next level, and just see what it’s like,” she said, “I’m ready for the challenge.”