Meghan Hunter’s BYU track and field experience has been anything but typical.
“After I graduated high school during the summer I was in a rollover car accident. And I broke my neck and my future with running was kind of uncertain what it would look like from there,” Hunter said.
The doctors told Hunter it would be one to two years before she would be able to run competitively again.
“I didn’t really feel like I was back in my full form and really feeling good about workouts until maybe like a year and a half after the accident,” she said.
Her first couple of years running for BYU after the accident had their ups and downs, Hunter said. Her strong support system kept her going through the physical and mental challenges following the accident.
“My coach, Coach Taylor, has really shown that she believes in me throughout this process … my parents have been amazing support, they’ve always been really supportive and motivating,” she said.
One of Hunter’s biggest fans is her dad, Iain Hunter.
“She’s taking a really tough situation and finding a way to really thrive and be on top at the end of the day,” he said.
On March 19, Hunter competed in the eight-hundred meter run at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston.
“I made it to finals which I was just so thrilled about,” she said.
Her parents and teammates were there cheering her on.
“I’ve seen her race enough I could see, this is going to end well for her,” Iain Hunter said.
“I was so excited to see my name is third up on the board, it was just a really surreal moment,” she said.
Hunter has become a stronger athlete and person because of the accident and all she’s been through, she said. She will continue to run for BYU next school year and hopes to run professionally after completing her college career.
