Nathan Federico

Metro head tennis coach Beck Meares at Meadow Creek Tennis and Fitness Club for practice Feb. 17.

By the time Beck Meares was five, she had a tennis racket in her hand. Her skills on the court, as well as her passion for the game, continued to expand and help shape her life.

It is that passion, and a second chance through Metro, that Meares gets to live every day loving what she does — coaching student athletes.

Meares’ journey began on the tennis courts in Brisbane, Australia. After high school, she tried to balance work, college and tennis but found it difficult. To pursue her dream, Meares set aside college and focused on training: five days a week, eight hours a day, and as many tournaments as possible.

Meares had racked up almost 830 points in three years on a tennis circuit in Australia, when she said it was time for a change.

“I definitely had what it takes to get to a certain point in tennis, but if you can really look back and say that I have given it 100 percent, then that’s where you are going to be,” Meares said. “That’s what I did and definitely never had any regrets.”

Meares decided to go back to college when she was recruited by fellow Australian, Brad Trost, then Metro tennis assistant coach. Trost was introduced to Meares through his niece, a friend of Meares’ youngest sister. Trost recruited both sisters.

Jessica Meares was just out of high school and Beck said she was grateful for a second chance at school.

“We had heard a lot about the American college system and we thought if we could just get in the line-up, just the top six, we would be happy,” Meares said.

During her four years as a Roadrunner, Meares achieved several Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors, including 2004 RMAC Player of the Year.

Meares led the Roadrunners to RMAC championships in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

“It’s funny — playing tennis as a profession, you’re a certain type of athlete and a certain type of person,” Meares said. “Then in my four years playing [at Metro], I had become a much better player, a much smarter player.”

Meares was inducted to Metro’s Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2011. She holds the career singles matches win record at Metro with 60.

Meares graduated in 2005 and made the natural transition from player to assistant coach.

In 2009, Metro hired Meares as the new head coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams.

“It felt like the natural step because they knew me as a player and as an assistant coach,” Meares said.

Meares had quite a first year as head coach, leading both teams to the NCAA tournament. Though the men had been there four consecutive years, the women hadn’t been there since Meares was on the team.

“The reality is that you are not going to become a professional tennis player from a Division II school,” Meares said. “So, it is my job to teach these players to be student-athletes.”

Meares said what she is most proud of her first year is the accomplishments of the athletes that received Academic All-RMAC.

Metro junior Samantha Schall, one of two Roadrunners recognized in 2011 as a first team Academic All-RMAC, appreciates her coach’s expectations.

“I don’t think coach asks us to do any more than she did while she was a student-athlete,” Schall said. “She has a focus on good grades, hard work, and character.”

Meares said that even though she is a competitive person, her best day as a coach is not a mark in the win column, but the realization that she is able to help student-athletes take advantage of the opportunities they have: to get an education and play tennis.

Tags: Australia, Beck, Meares, RMAC, tennis

People: Beck Meares, Brad Trost, Jessica Meares, Samantha Schall