Player of the Week Meghan Kirck ’28 Talks Tying Program Record, Growing Up in Basketball Family, and Hitting Game Winners

Meghan Kirck ’28 is a prospective psychology and education studies major from Orange, Conn., and is the starting point guard for the women’s basketball team. Kirck has taken quite the sophomore surge, coming big in various moments throughout the Cardinals’ season. On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Kirck received an outlet pass and drained a game-winning three-pointer with 15 seconds left to defeat Clark University.

Later in the season, Kirck led the Red and Black with 29 points in a 61–65 loss against No. 12 nationally ranked Bates. In the game, she went 7–11 from beyond the arc, tying Shaleen Bowman ’03 for the single-game record in program history. After draining the most 3s in a single season in program history with 56 last year, Kirck has spent her first two seasons in a Cards jersey, establishing herself as one of the best deep range deadeyes the program has ever seen. Kirck sat down with the Argus to discuss the Clark game winner, her continued dominance from beyond the arc, and the strong sisterhood developed over the course of the season. 

The Argus: When did you first start playing basketball? When did you fall in love with the game?

Meghan Kirck: I grew up playing basketball. It’s been in my bloodline—the Kirck name is pretty popular in Connecticut. My grandfather and uncle are referees. My dad was my high school coach. I have two sisters. I’m the middle child, so I was lucky enough to play with both of them growing up and in high school at two separate times. I fell in love with the sport at a very young age. I was the water girl for my dad’s high school team growing up. I was always in a gym, always shooting the shooting balls, and I was lucky enough to play for my dad in high school. He’s my coach, and my older sister goes to Middlebury College, so I’m able to play against her every year. 

A: Did you always know that you wanted to play in college? How did your journey take you to Wes?

MK: That was my goal from a very young age. My dad played at Bowdoin College; we’re a NESCAC family, so I knew I wanted to play in the NESCAC in college. I was lucky enough to be recruited by Head Coach Kate Mullen and former Coach Maddie Bledsoe ’18, two great people in my life. They took me to this beautiful campus, and I’m about 45 minutes from home, so it’s close enough, but still far away, and I couldn’t be happier.

A: What’s the most rewarding and most difficult part about being a student athlete at Wes?

MK: The most rewarding part is the sisterhood that comes from being on a team. You automatically get 12 sisters every single year. We’ll have more next year with five freshmen coming in. So that’s definitely the most rewarding part. I have sisters for life. I grew up playing basketball in middle school and high school, and I’m still friends with the people I met there. It really creates bonds that last a lifetime. The most challenging part is balancing school at a high academic school like Wesleyan, where the classes aren’t easy. But once you get that balance down, it just becomes more rewarding. 

A: When opposing teams look at the scouting report on you, what’s the first strength they point out? What do you pride your game on the most?

MK: The first thing would be my three-point shooting. I love a good three-point shot. My sister would say that’s the only thing I’m good at, but we beat them this year. 

A: Do you model your game after any player in particular?

MK: Yeah, I would have to say my dad. I know that’s probably a cliche answer, but he was also a three-point shooter at Bowdoin. He’s still one of the best shooters. We’ll play horse or one-on-one in the backyard, and he makes every single shot. And I don’t know how it’s possible, but, I’d say him.

A: On Nov. 25, you hit the game winner against Clark, picking up the team’s third win of the season and a huge non-conference victory. Take me through the final moments of that game and what you were thinking as you received the ball and hit the shot.

MK: Clark was an interesting game because they played this interesting zone defense that makes you need to shoot outside shots. In the beginning, my defense was not very good, and I couldn’t get a lot of shots to fall. But one big thing about our team is that we have trust in each other. We have confidence, and we talk about displaying the confidence that other people have for you, and then taking it and having it in yourself. When we got down the stretch, I started hitting a couple more shots. Then, Samaya Lovett ’29 came into the game and made an amazing pass, putting the ball in my shooting pocket. I just shot it and it went in, and it was awesome.

A: You are receiving our Player of the Week for your program record–tying performance against Bates, where you tied the program record with seven 3s in a 29-point performance. What do you credit your level of success in that game to?

MK: I can’t chalk that up to anything other than it being just one of those days. It felt like I took normal shots, and then once they started going in, it felt a little different than some games. It felt like there was almost a magnetic force towards the rim. I credit my team: They were able to find me the ball, and when someone’s hot, giving them the ball and having confidence in them to keep shooting is great. Unfortunately, we could not get the win, but I think battling against a Bates team that’s ranked in the top 25 of the country is just a great way to show how our team is never the complete underdog. Our record might show that we don’t win that many games, but I feel like there’s a lot of hard-fought battles within the lines.

A: Were you aware of the single-game record when you tied it?

MK: One of my teammates told me afterwards. I try not to think about it; I just try to win a basketball game. 

A: This team is relatively young this year, with only four upperclassmen. How have your fellow sophomores and you used your year of experience to help shape the team chemistry?

MK: Our sophomore class is a really big part of the team. We’re the bridge between the captains and the first-years. Me, Aviva Schnitzer ’28, Madie Dayton ’28, and Pauline Vlahakis ’28 take huge responsibility trying to lead the first-years, but also receive information from our leaders. It’s definitely an interesting position, because we’ve only been here for one year, but I think we took it on very well. Our results didn’t show it on the court, but they definitely did within our team. 

A: Looking back on the last two seasons—the first half of your Wesleyan career—what are you most proud of as your evolution as a player and as a team?

MK: I came into Wesleyan not being a point guard. I’ve always played shooting guard. My sister was a point guard, and then in my last year in high school, we had a really great point guard. So stepping into that role, trying to lead my team the best I can, and having confidence in myself to lead the team while also gaining the trust of others are things I’ve worked on a lot, and still can work on going forward. I couldn’t be more excited for next season already.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.