ESPN show highlights IU starter's on, off-field accomplishments

When her roommate was reading children's books, junior Meredith Brown was writing nationally published poems.\n"I was reading Dr. Seuss (back) then, and she was writing poems," said junior forward Kate O' Connell.\nBrown, a tri-captain on the IU field hockey team, had her poem "All-Around the World" published on the first page of the 2005 edition of "Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul: Real Stories by Real Girls about Real Stuff." She wrote the poem when she was 13.\nBrown was featured on NCAA On Campus, a television show that features student athletes, on ESPN Classic on Oct. 18. The segment will continue to be re-aired through the rest of the week.\n"I'm so proud of my roommate," junior Kate O'Connell said. \nAlthough it's been seven years since Brown wrote the poem, she still believes the poem sends the same strong message to its readers.\n"It's about no matter who you are, no matter the color of your hair, no matter your size, we're all girls," Brown said, "We're all in this world, and we're all the same."\nThe segment on ESPN features video footage of Brown performing on the field for the IU field hockey team and off the field, showing her on the Bloomington campus.\nBrown wrote the poem while attending Cherry Hills Middle School in her hometown of Elkton, Md. But she wasn't aware at the time that her poem would receive so much attention.\n"My freshman year in college they contacted me and asked me if they could publish it," Brown said.\nBrown continues to practice her writing at IU as a student in the School of Journalism. After college she hopes to become a magazine writer or work in public relations. For now, she is content with using writing as a relaxation tool.\n"In my spare time, I'll just write down whatever I'm thinking. It's usually just thoughts or poetry, nothing really organized," she said.\nWhen the On Campus episode aired, Brown gathered with her roommates and friends to watch the episode live together. O'Connell roommate had a split-reaction to the show's quality.\n"Even though I didn't make it in there," O'Connell said. "I thought it looked very good"