Marissa Meyer, 3-sport star at Fairfield, wins DI rugby MVP at Navy - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Navy sophomore Marissa Meyer will never forget her first-ever rugby practice at the Brigade Sports Complex at the Naval Academy.

"I was like a deer in the headlights," she laughed. "I was super confused."

Even though Meyer had never played rugby before, a roommate recommended the sport to her. Still, there were some traits to the game that she had already mastered before taking the pitch.

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"I knew how to hit people, I knew how to catch a ball and I knew how to run," Meyer said. "That was good enough for them."

Navy Rugby wins national championship behind MVP Marissa Meyer

Fast forward two years and it was great for Meyer and the Navy Rugby team. Meyer helped Navy capture back-to-back Division I Fall Championships.

It was a competitive fire and willingness to learn that guided Meyer to new heights in a new sport. Despite the initial confusion of a first-time rugby player, Meyer was already all-in when she saw how the game was played.

"I was definitely hooked," Meyer said. "I was itching for more."

Last month, Meyer helped lead Navy's Division I title defense from her center position. She led the team with 12 tries (scoring by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area ) and 60 total points. In the championship match against Utah State, Meyer headlined Navy's 36-0 run after an early deficit with two long scoring runs. Overall, Meyer scored at least one try in eight of Navy's 11 matches on the season.

For her efforts, she was named the Division I tournament's Most Valuable Player.

"It's a really surreal moment," Meyer said. "I would've never thought of winning an MVP. I just wanted to get better and improve myself and improve my teammates. Those teammates are how you get the championship. It was the people around me that helped me get here."

At first, Meyer thought she'd have to wait her turn as a freshman, just hoping to get some playing time near the end of the season. But a stellar work ethic and athleticism from years of playing sports took over. Not even injuries – like a broken finger or a busted eyebrow that required stitches – could keep her from playing.

"The coaches saw my potential and put me in and I really grew under the pressure and grew during those games," Meyer said. "I picked it up really quick."

Picking up a sport was not a new experience for Meyer, who earned varsity letters in three sports at Fairfield High School.

She initially ran cross country to stay in shape for soccer but ditched the pitch for lacrosse when she saw the aggressive nature of practice one day from the sidelines.

"I saw people hitting each other with sticks and I was like, 'yeah, that's cool,' " Meyers said. "I loved the physical part of it, but it was the team part, too. I love being part of a team and the sport was unique. Lacrosse is different, not many people play it in the Midwest. Those factors made me fall in love with it."

As a sophomore in 2019, Meyer finished sixth in the Greater Miami Conference in goals (46), second in assists (25), fourth in ground balls (51), second in draw controls (125) and led the league in interceptions (24). After her junior campaign was canceled due to the pandemic, she returned as a senior in 2021 and registered 30 goals and finished second in the GMC with 78 draw controls.

When another new, exciting opportunity presented itself as a junior, she jumped on it when Fairfield began offering girls wrestling. She was on the inaugural girls wrestling team at Fairfield and was later the state runner-up in the 143-pound division of the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association state tournament as a senior.

"In high school, I liked to do a bunch of different things," Meyer said. "I joined wrestling because I was a stats person and was like, 'Oh, this is pretty cool.' My dad wrestled in high school, but it wasn't like following in his footsteps completely, but he was one of the reasons I started doing it."

Meyer's high school athletic resume is decorated, with a career prep total of 10 varsity letters (four in cross country and lacrosse plus two in wrestling). She was twice named first-team all-conference in lacrosse along with a pair of all-district and all-state selections. In wrestling, she was a second-team all-SWOWCA performer as a senior.

While sports have led Meyer in many different, surprising directions, she had always had her sights set on joining the service. At first, Meyer wanted to join the Marine Corps, but her parents suggested a college education.

When a teammate's father suggested the Naval Academy during her freshman year at Fairfield, she was fully committed and enlisted right after graduation.

The team aspect that Meyer admired throughout soccer, lacrosse, wrestling and rugby is the same reason her first two years at the Naval Academy have been so enjoyable.

"It's a family here. It's a family away from home," Meyer said. "They're there for your highest moments and they're there when you're down the most. They help you grow. That's what I love about it. I get to meet new people and gain new perspectives on everything."

Meyer is hopeful to continue playing rugby after graduating from the Naval Academy. There's an opportunity with an All-Service Rugby league, or she plans to find a club rugby team near wherever she is stationed.

"I love this game and want to play for a long time."