All-Star on and off the Field: Mya Brown shines as athlete, leader & scholar

Published 7:00 am Saturday, May 20, 2023

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LAPLACE – When Mya Brown came to St. Charles Catholic, she wanted to prove it’s possible to play sports and still be very involved in extracurriculars on campus. As one of the honor graduates for St. Charles Catholic’s Class of 2023, she’s done that and more.

“I am academically inclined, athletically inclined, and very involved in the school, and I wanted to show people you can do it all without having to give up other things,” Brown said.

Brown was on the varsity teams for volleyball, basketball, and track and field. She also served as Beta Club president, Student Council treasurer, a school ambassador, a Eucharistic minister, and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes leadership team. She was voted Miss Comet by her class.

This year, she had the unforgettable experience of surpassing 2,000 career points in basketball during a game against Metairie Park Country Day.

“Starting at SCC and seeing the 1,000 point case at school, it was a dream of mine to get to at least 1,000 points. I didn’t think it would be possible to reach 2,000 until I got the 1,000 in my sophomore year. It was very surreal,” Brown said.

Brown’s family and coaches kept her score count a secret during her senior season to avoid putting pressure on her. Her Paw Paw let it slip one day that she was five points away, and she knew she would have the 2,000 milestone on lock by the following game. Brown was happy to celebrate along with boys’ basketball team member Davon Stirgus, who reached the 1,000-point club this spring.

While the girls’ basketball team fell to Newman in the second round of the playoffs, Brown ended the season on a great note with first team all-district honors.

Brown lettered all five years in basketball and three years in volleyball. During her senior season, the SCC volleyball team broke into the state tournament in Lafayette for the first time in 20 years.

Track and field was a new adventure for Brown after she joined the team during her junior year at St. Charles Catholic. She quickly rose to the challenge, placing third in the state for shot put and fourth for discus. This year, she returned to state determined to make it to the podium in both events.

Brown was named a district champion and a regional field athlete during meets held at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans. She closed out her senior year with two state champion titles after setting personal records of 37’ 11.5” in shot put and 128’ 6” in the discus.

“I remember that last year in the shot put, I was so close. The top three were all within inches of each other and they were all seniors. It was exciting to come back and accomplish that goal. The goal was to get on the podium, but to be on top of the podium is 10 times better,” Brown said.

With her diploma now in hand, Brown will be attending Louisiana State University in the fall to major in biology and minor in kinesiology. She plans to become a sports medicine specialist to help young athletes overcome injuries just as Dr. Choate helped her.

“During volleyball I injured both shoulders, and during basketball I developed patella tendonitis in both of my knees, and that caused me to visit our school doctor a lot,” Brown said. “Having those multiple appointments and seeing how he has helped so many other athletes in our school get better made me want to work with student athletes as well. I know firsthand how hard it can be to play while injured or in pain, and he really helped me throughout my years at SCC to remain healthy physically.”