After a rocky start to the women’s field hockey season last fall, UW stunned the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) circuit. Entering the championship tournament as the fourth seed, the Warriors toppled powerhouse University of Toronto before edging past longtime rivals, University of Guelph Gryphons, to capture their first OUA gold in two decades, and fourth in program history. At the centre of it all was co-captain Meagan Hobson, a player whose energy, resilience, and steady leadership helped turn an underdog team into champions.
Hobson is one of the three co-captains for UW’s women’s field hockey team and is also a full time ARBUS student in her fourth year majoring in legal studies. While her busy schedule already speaks to her commitment and success as a student athlete, Hobson was also the recipient of the Marsden trophy at this years’ athletics banquet, as well as being the U Sports National Championship Tournament MVP. The co-captain made her mark by leading her team to the OUA Championship while fostering a loving and supportive culture for the whole team to thrive in. Hobson’s achievements as a student and an athlete, embody what UW’s athletics aims to stand for, as she is sure to leave a lasting and impactful legacy here at UW.
Hobson’s journey with field hockey begins with her initial start as an ice hockey player and dabbling in field hockey during the summers along with many of her team mates. However field hockey soon became a greater interest and she joined her first competitive field hockey team, the KW Dragons, in her early years as an athlete. With her field hockey team spending many Saturday mornings playing at UW, Hobson had already begun to set her sights on playing for the school when she would eventually go to university, especially as her older sister, who also played field hockey at UW, helped to put her in contact with field hockey coach, Stephanie Snider, during high school. When asked if the co-captain had ever considered playing for a different school she stated that, “It was always Waterloo. I honestly only applied to one other program just in case I never got in.”
After reaching her goal of playing field hockey for UW, Hobson looked towards her next achievement, receiving a captaincy, which she accomplished in January 2024. “It honestly has always been my goal to be able to lead the team… anyone can lead the team, you don’t need the title to do it, just being able to take that leadership role and bring it to the next level,” she explained. Hobson added that “mak[ing] our team united as one” is something that starts with the mindset of the leadership, which her and her co-captains prioritized this past season.
In the fall 2024, Hobson had her work cut out for her entering the OUA championship with her team being the underdog fourth seed that was not expected to make a deep run. However, the co-captain shared that the win against perennial powerhouse, the University of Toronto, boosted the teams’ confidence. “It was a 1-0 game and… that’s a good team. When we beat them, we knew we could do it, but now we just had a lot more fire,” Hobson explained. Through her own leadership style, the co-captain aimed to create a community where each player was motivated to do their best on the field, and most importantly, be excited to play. It was this fire and energy, kindled by the three co-captains, that helped them to prevail against long-time rivals, the Guelph Gryphons, and bring home the OUA gold. Additionally, this was the first championship for Hobsons’ coaches, which she shared made the win all the more special.
The OUA win definitely marks the UW women’s field hockey team as the ones to watch moving forward into the next season, however underneath the success, Hobson explains how if you were to walk into a room with the 19 girls off the field, you would be able to see that they are all one big family, and that is a culture that she aims to cultivate as a leader within the team. However, being the head of a big family comes with challenges which the co-captain says can be difficult sometimes to overcome. “Say you’re not having the best game yourself, it’s hard not to get too down on yourself, but you always have to remember that the teams looking up to you, and maybe someone else is having a great day, it’s how you pick yourself up and show everyone that, I might not have had a great game, but I can still try my hardest,” said Hobson.
While Hobson makes her student-athlete life and successes look easy, the reality requires the juggling of responsibilities, hard work and sacrifices. The co-captain recalled a particularly difficult schedule during last season when the team had a three day turnaround from the OUA championship to competing at U Sports during midterms, “It definitely was a little more challenging to balance but… we also have a really great athletics community to lean on for wellness, and help accessing tutors which is really great.” Even with the additional support from athletics, Hobson explained how it all comes down to mastering her organizational and time management skills.
After her years of dedication to the sport, her steady and motivating leadership skills and hard work in her academics, it is no surprise that Hobson’s achievements have been recognized as she became the most recent recipient of the Marsden trophy. The trophy is awarded to UW’s female athlete of the year for athletic excellence and genuine sportsmanship while maintaining academic quality. As Hobson reflected on the moment she received the award at this years academic banquet she described how she felt in awe of the achievement, and how special it was to have her friends and family with her during that moment. When discussing the work that went into earning the award Hobson said, “I’ve just been very determined throughout my four years to really make an impact on the field hockey program. I am a very competitive person.” It is clear that she has left an impact not only on the program but also her team mates, the athletics community and UW.
Now entering her last season playing field hockey at UW, Hobson is still determined to motivate her team and bring home more wins. While the co-captain says her departure is bittersweet due to the amazing experience she has had in the field hockey program, she hopes that she can in some way stay connected and continue to have an impact on future players. When asked what she would say to any new recruits coming to UW to play field hockey Hobson said, “You’ll have so many people in your corner cheering you on, making it a great experience… I’d say, if you come to Waterloo, you would just have another big family.”
