Why Hutchison School junior Meriel Rowland was selected to honor Eliza Fletcher
Hutchison School wanted to honor Eliza Fletcher, the Memphis school teacher who died tragically in September. Fletcher's impact was felt as both a student and athlete at Hutchinson, where she starred in track and field.
So it was fitting the all-girls school retired the No. 5 jersey number worn by the person known to friends and family as "Liza." But this is not a typical jersey retirement.
While nearly every athlete at Hutchison can’t wear Fletcher’s No. 5 jersey across all sports, one rising senior will be selected each spring to wear the number in any sport they participate in.
"Retiring her number would be special,” said Peter Edmiston, the sports information director at Hutchison. “... We felt like this was a more clear way to continue the legacy that Liza has around here.”
The first recipient of the Liza Wellford Fletcher Number Five award is multi-sport athlete Meriel Rowland.
"I was just filled with so much joy and so thankful,” Rowland said. “Just to be given this award was so special.”
Fletcher was abducted and killed in Memphis, while jogging near the University of Memphis early morning on Sept. 2 and her remains were found in South Memphis on Sept. 5. She was 34. The circumstances generated national headlines and led to stories of all the good deeds Fletcher, who was a teacher at St. Mary's Episcopal School, performed throughout her community.
WHO IS ELIZA FLETCHER?: A mom, teacher and avid runner: Who is Eliza Fletcher?
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It’s only fitting Rowland was the first student selected to honor Fletcher.
Rowland met Fletcher two years ago. Fletcher was helping a homeless person who had passed out in the street and Rowland and some of her friends stopped to help. It was a brief interaction, but also a lasting impression on who Fletcher was.
“She embodies so much of what Eliza’s legacy is all about,” said Edmiston. “She’s an incredibly hardworking student, and incredibly giving person.
“She has potential to be, truly, one of the very best runners that we’ve ever had here. It's just the way she is. She’s just a really special student; a really special kid.”
Rowland, a junior, is a member of the cross country, track and field, and lacrosse teams. She took this season off from swimming, but plans to return next year.
In cross country, she holds the school record for the 5K with a time of 18 minutes, 34 seconds. In track, she is the record holder in the 3,200 and 1,600, with times of 10:57 and 5:10, respectively.
And she’s just the first of an exclusive group of Hutchison athletes that will get to honor Fletcher.
"Her memory is really enduring and powerful,” said Edmiston. “So, we wanted to find someone that was equally enduring and powerful to try to live up to that.”
Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on Twitter @wynstonw__.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Hutchison School honors Eliza Flethcher with jersey retirement, award
