THE MEADOWS: Athletes are more than jocks

Between Dominique Bosa-Edwards and Jack Morgan, they own 20 individual state titles in track and field.

And yet, to stereotype The Meadows School seniors as just jocks is to miss the big story.

Yes, each is outstanding in track and field. But each excels in other sports as well. And, each is even better in the classroom.

Beyond that, the true calling card of these two individuals is the type of people they are.

"Both are really good people and have outstanding character," The Meadows track and field coach Jeff Hutzler said. "People say sports build character. They don't. They expose it. Whatever (Bosa-Edwards and Morgan) do in sports or outside of school, their character shows through."

Bosa-Edwards owns 13 state titles -- four in the 100-meter hurdles, three each in the long and triple jumps, two 300 hurdles and one as a member of the 400-meter relay team.

The 5-foot-6 speedster, who will attend Brown University in Providence, R.I., where she plans to major in business and economics, carries a 3.66 unweighted grade-point average.

She is a four-year tennis letterwinner and earned one letter in basketball. She has received art awards, writes poetry, volunteers at Sunrise Library and Sunrise Hospital, helps with the Inner-City Games and works in the office of her father, former boxer and current boxing promoter Cornelius Bosa-Edwards.

Morgan owns seven firsts in state competition -- four in the mile and three in the 800. The distance runner is also a member of the school-record 400-meter relay team.

The slim 6-footer, who will attend Amherst College in Massachusetts, has a 3.95 GPA and scored 1,500 on his SAT's. He earned 10 varsity letters -- four in track, three in soccer, two in basketball and one in tennis.

He participates in theatre projects and had the lead role in "Mid Summer Night's Dream," orchestrated for several projects (he plays baritone horn), was on the state second place Varsity Quiz team, is a member of the Student Honor Code Committee and a volunteer for the American Cancer Society.

Obviously, these 18-year-olds embody the term "well-rounded." They are arguably the best athletes at the school, and yet each is well grounded, too. In fact, each likes to tell humbling stories when looking back at their high school careers.

"During my sophomore year, I was winning the 100 high hurdles at the zone meet," Bosa Edwards said. "The hurdles had been set up wrong, but I didn't know it. I hit one of the hurdles and skidded for 10 meters on the ground."

Shaken up and bleeding, she had a decision to make when officials acknowledged that the hurdles had been set up wrong. Bosa-Edwards opted to re-run the race at the end of the meet. Despite a hip injury, she won. Nobody has ever questioned her toughness.

"It was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen," said an admiring Morgan.

But Morgan has his own war stories.

"As a freshman, I was leading the 800 at state and fell 10 yards from the finish," Morgan said. "I took third and we lost the meet by two points. I vowed never to fall again."

He didn't. Morgan remembers a meet when the Mustangs competed in a medley relay event at the BYU Invitational. Despite never having competed in a medley relay that included a 200, 200, 400 and 800 leg, The Meadows' runners wowed the competition by winning the event.

"There's something about medley relays, the team aspect of it," Morgan said. "You get a real feeling of satisfaction."

Both Bosa-Edwards and Morgan experienced individual feelings of satisfaction that most athletes can only dream of. And yet, they have never lost their sense of commitment to team.

"If all kids were like them, coaching would be the easiest thing in the world," Hutzler said. "Everyone could do it."