Lacrosse to Lab: Cawood Shines On and Off the Field
4/28/2020 1:16:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
A typical day for Meghan Cawood begins bright and early at 7:00 a.m., when she wakes up and gets ready to head to the research lab. On her way to the lab she hits her teammates with a simple, yet essential, text message. Every day for the past year and half, the second-year lacrosse player has updated the team on the daily schedule. A responsibility Cawood took on herself to not only help the team but also to help herself plan her hectic life.
 "Coach [Brianne] Tierney wanted someone to send a text to the team every morning," said Cawood. "It was just kind of what we are doing on that day and at what time. Just so everyone is on the same page. I waited a couple weeks, and no one sent anything, so I decided I would send the text out. I usually just send out the information the coaches already give us. It's basically a reminder, but if anything is wrong the coaches will correct it."
The text has become an important part of balancing Cawood's daily schedule. A hectic schedule that begins in the research lab for an hour and a half, gathering and interpreting data she often spends the late hours of the night before quantifying in hopes of making improvements. A schedule filled with hours of classes, lacrosse practice, workouts and studying or doing homework until 11 p.m. Sixteen crammed hours, rinse and repeat.
While in the lab, Cawood is working to slow the progression of Alzheimer's. A disease that affected her great grandmother and sparked her interest in the subject.
She helps Eric Dyne, the graduate assistant overseeing the lab, by using human brain cells to look at a protein called amyloid beta which has believed to be a cause for Alzheimer's. According to both Dyne and Cawood, the more of the amyloid beta there is, the harder our immune cells – or microglia – have to work.
Dyne, a tutor for the athletic department, assisted Cawood in the fall. She expressed interest in joining his research lab, but no spots were open at the time. Cawood was on the verge of joining a different research lab – one that dealt with rats which she said she could do without – when a spot opened in Dyne's lab. He knew she was perfect for the job.
"She has done an incredible job," said Dyne. "She comes in every single day with questions and ideas, and I think that is what makes her so great. She will come into the lab, ask me a question and I will go home that night and research it. I will come back the next day, give her my response for why it will or won't work and she will have another idea or question. She really challenges me to think differently."
Her schedule alone poses issues for both the research lab and lacrosse. It has taken sacrifice in both areas to have successful balance. This means working with Tierney and Dyne to juggle Cawood's schedule. There were frequent Saturday trips to the lab with Dyne, as well as individual lacrosse work with coaches – specifically Assistant Coach Morgan Fee – on the draw control. The individual lacrosse work saw Cawood take the next step on a young Golden Flashes' squad.
Cawood started just 11 games as a freshman, but she was becoming a solid piece of the Golden Flashes' 2020 starting lineup. The sophomore midfielder and draw control specialist was having a breakout year on the lacrosse field, scoring four goals in six starts and ranking second on the team with 18 draw controls. And then the season was cancelled.
This devastating blow ended the spring season for all teams, but it especially impacted a Kent State lacrosse team in need of game experience. With the team compromised of mostly freshmen and sophomores, getting more games in was something Cawood was hoping to do.
"We just have to take what we have learned this year and carry it over to next year," said Cawood. "We all wanted to finish the season, and I think we would have been on a whole different level heading into next year had we got the full season in. We just have to get the whole team on board with next season, and I think we are going to be even better next season with all the experience we have coming back."
Cawood's motivation extends beyond the lab and the lacrosse field, never taking her eyes off the ultimate goal. She has her own thoughts and theories associated with Alzheimer's and is interested in doing her own research on the subject, but her number one goal is simple.
"I want to go to medical school," said Cawood. "I wouldn't mind doing some research on the side after medical school. I will have more experience and then can obviously gain more during the research. It's not my top priority, but it would be cool to keep going with the research."
The opportunity may be there for Cawood to continue her research at Kent State. Whether she decides to go that route is still up in the air – as many things are now. But one thing is for certain, Tierney and Dyne have high expectations for Cawood's future.
"She can do anything she sets her mind to," said Dyne. "She has that determination and she wants to learn. It's not something you see from your average undergraduate student. Whether she goes into the medical field or continues down the research path, I think she has all the traits to be successful in whatever she ends up doing."
"She is a kid who I am going to be so proud to have coached when I look back in 10-15 years," said Tierney. "It has everything to do with her parents and her incredible work ethic. I think she is going to change the world."
