NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There are two hawks that hang out at the Vanderbilt lacrosse stadium every day. One flies around in the sky watching the Commodores and the other flies around the field making defensive plays.
Vanderbilt senior defender Melissa Hawkins has always been connected to the bird flying high in the sky.
“Hawk,” as her teammates call her, is known for her speed, quickness, aggression and ability to predict passes. While she plays like a hawk when she attacks the opponent, the bird reflects something more meaningful than just her play.
Melissa’s father, Mark Hawkins, died when Melissa was 13 years old and entering her freshman year of high school. Known as “The Hawk” by his friends, Mark Hawkins was regarded for his generosity and love of sports by everyone in his community.
“Dad was always at the field,” Hawkins said. “If my brother (Russell) or I were playing a game, then he would be the loudest one in the stands. And if we were not playing then he would always be running the concession stand from sun-up to sun-down.”
While her friends always call her “strong” and “courageous” for how she has responded to the horrific life event that happened, Hawkins gives credit to her mom, Karen Hawkins, for shining her strength to her children.
“About a week after my dad passed,” Hawkins recalled, “mom pulled Russell and me aside and said, ‘Starting now your life can go in one of two directions. You can either let this situation crumble you or you can continue following your dreams and accomplish more than what you already have because that’s what dad would have wanted.’
Hawkins made the decision that day to not let her new circumstance define her.
A few weeks later, Hawkins tried out for the STEPS club lacrosse team and ended up making the “B” team. While she was upset to not make the “A” team, a close family friend called Hawkins’ mom and said that Melissa would eventually be a Division I lacrosse player.
After playing with STEPS for a year, Hawkins racked up scholarship offers, went on visits and eventually chose to commit to Vanderbilt as a rising sophomore. Hawkins stayed true to her commitment and enrolled at Vanderbilt in the fall of 2017.
When picking her number, Hawkins chose to wear number 13 in honor of her dad because he passed away August 13, 2013.
“It’s a number that means so much to me,” Hawkins said. “Although it brings me back to that day over and over, it pushes me to overcome any obstacle I face because none of them will ever compare to the one I faced that day.”
During her freshman season, Hawkins’ teammate Melanie Becker went by “Mel.” Since that nickname closely resembles Melissa, her Vanderbilt teammates decided to call Hawkins “Hawk” instead.
“That was so special to me because that is what my dad used to be called,” Hawkins said. “My freshman year I was kind of quiet about everything that had happened so the fact that this nickname came about by chance is so meaningful to me.”
As she has grown closer and more vulnerable with her teammates, Hawkins is a lot more open about her dad. From her first day at practice, Hawkins has always known that the hawk that flies around the field every day is just her dad stopping by to watch her play.
Now, her teammates know that too.
“Whenever someone on the team sees a Hawk at the field, the bus or anywhere around, my teammates will text me, ‘Just saw a hawk, I know your dad is here,’ ” Hawkins said. “I love that my teammates think of my dad when they see a hawk in the sky.”
