University of Delaware Athletics
COVID-19 Cut Michaela Meyer's NCAA Journey Short, But Her Impact On Delaware Was All-American
3/19/2020 10:00:00 AM | Track & Field
2:05.5.
That was the goal that Delaware senior Michaela Meyer and assistant track & field coach/head cross country coach Ryan Waite had set going into the Boston University Last Chance Meet on Feb. 28. Meyer already held the school record in the 800-meter run, both indoor and outdoor, setting the indoor mark two weeks earlier at the same track in 2:07.07.
But to become the first Blue Hen in program history to qualify for an NCAA national indoor championship meet, they felt that she had to break that mid-2:05 barrier.
"Her first race in Boston this year, she just ran a little too aggressively and overdid it, and just had a really tough last 200-300 meters," Waite said. "We knew that if she dialed it back just a little bit and was a little more conservative through the first 400, that she'd have plenty in the tank to be able to run the time that she needed to."
"I felt really prepared and soon as the gun went off, my body knew what it had to do and I was racing," Meyer said.
Earlier in the week, the pair had worked on Meyer getting out of the gates at a decent, but controlled pace and finishing all out for the last lap. She had executed the strategy for the first 600 meters and as she came to the finish line for her final lap, Waite yelled to her that if she closed the race in 32 seconds she was going to nationals.
Meyer closed in 30 seconds, crossing the line in 2:03.40, shattering her previous school record, well surpassing her goal, and qualifying for the national championships with the fourth-best time in the country. When she learned what her time was, she collapsed into Waite's arms with a hug, celebrating the moment she had worked towards for four years.
"I was so excited, I couldn't believe I was going to Albuquerque," Meyer said of punching her ticket to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. "It was bigger than me, and I was lucky to represent the University. It was something that Ryan and I always talked about, but finally came true. I was in shock, but I was also very happy."
On Wednesday, March 11, Meyer completed her final pre-meet workout before flying to New Mexico and looked poised to make the 800 finals and finish high enough to score points for Delaware at the national championship.
Of course, 2020 has been a year unlike any other in the sports world. While Meyer was gearing up for a meet that marked a lifetime achievement in her sport, the United States was coming to grips with the reality of COVID-19, commonly known as the Coronavirus Disease.
The Ivy League had cancelled their men's and women's basketball tournaments before Waite and Meyer cleared their health pre-check and flew to Albuquerque. By the time they landed, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive, news that would force the NBA to suspend its season. Thursday morning, with the meet slated to begin the next day, every major conference eventually cancelled their basketball tournaments.
Through it all, Meyer and Waite tried to keep things light and focus on the race the next day. Waite instructed Meyer to turn her phone off so she wouldn't get emotionally drained from the influx of questions about the situation. The most normal thing of the trip was going through pre-race rituals, including a shake down at the Albuquerque Convention Center where the meet was to be held.
"So grateful that I was able to see the facility and be in an arena where there were national champions," Meyer said. "That was super cool to be on a track with the best people in track & field. That was amazing, I will cherish that moment."
But when they returned to the hotel, they learned the news that the NCAA was cancelling all of its winter and spring championships to help mitigate the spread of the virus. While she understood the decision, the moment was still incredibly difficult for Meyer.
"That was definitely a very emotional time. I did not think that when I ran in Boston, that was going to be my last race," Meyer said. "I knew that it was the right decision, and I have no hard feelings against anyone who cancelled it. But it was definitely a hard moment and a hard couple of days. Thinking you were going to compete, to potentially being an All-American runner, to not having to run tomorrow. That was hard, for sure."
The two went through a natural mourning period after hearing the news, the thing they had worked so hard for ripped away from them by a global pandemic. But soon they did what runners do best: they went down to a trail along the Rio Grande and ran.
"It kind of brought us back to reality a little bit," Meyer said. "Obviously, we're really sad about the meet getting cancelled, but then we were able to go on this run and realize life is still going to go on, we still have good things."
While Meyer, like students across the country, is sorting out what the next phase of her life looks like, it will surely be full of good things as well. She'll complete her nutrition degree this spring, and hopes to then complete an accelerated nursing program. From a running standpoint, she could compete for another year collegiately, but she's also getting some interest from some professional running groups. Meyer and Waite have also bookmarked the Olympic Trials (if they still happen) as a meet to potentially qualify for, to give her the championship-style event she was deprived of this winter.
No matter what the future holds, one thing that's certain is Meyer's place in Delaware track & field history.
In a traditional year, athletes that make the finals of their event at the national championships earn First Team All-American honors, while the rest of the athletes that compete at the championships are Second Team All-Americans. As with so many things in the world right now, All-American distinctions for this season are up in the air. For Waite, there's no doubt what Meyer's status is.
"I will always consider her an All-American athlete," Waite said. "2:03 is next level. I'll always think of her as one of the top 800-meter runners in the country in 2020. She was ranked fourth in the NCAA and that's a huge deal."
Beyond her individual achievements, Meyer helped elevate the entire team.
"Her legacy is…I feel like she took the program to the next level in so many ways, and my hope is that other athletes moving forward will see what she did and say 'I want to do that too,'" Waite said. "I talked to some of our alumni after she hit her qualifying mark, they were reaching out just excited about what Michaela had done and where the program was and where it was going. I told them, 'Thank you, you were a big part of that. Michaela wouldn't be where she was if you guys didn't raise the bar to where you rose it.' And my hope is that our athletes moving forward will continue to try to raise that bar. And so any success that we have moving forward will be in part because Michaela helped raise the bar just a little bit higher."
That was the goal that Delaware senior Michaela Meyer and assistant track & field coach/head cross country coach Ryan Waite had set going into the Boston University Last Chance Meet on Feb. 28. Meyer already held the school record in the 800-meter run, both indoor and outdoor, setting the indoor mark two weeks earlier at the same track in 2:07.07.
But to become the first Blue Hen in program history to qualify for an NCAA national indoor championship meet, they felt that she had to break that mid-2:05 barrier.
"Her first race in Boston this year, she just ran a little too aggressively and overdid it, and just had a really tough last 200-300 meters," Waite said. "We knew that if she dialed it back just a little bit and was a little more conservative through the first 400, that she'd have plenty in the tank to be able to run the time that she needed to."
"I felt really prepared and soon as the gun went off, my body knew what it had to do and I was racing," Meyer said.
Earlier in the week, the pair had worked on Meyer getting out of the gates at a decent, but controlled pace and finishing all out for the last lap. She had executed the strategy for the first 600 meters and as she came to the finish line for her final lap, Waite yelled to her that if she closed the race in 32 seconds she was going to nationals.
Meyer closed in 30 seconds, crossing the line in 2:03.40, shattering her previous school record, well surpassing her goal, and qualifying for the national championships with the fourth-best time in the country. When she learned what her time was, she collapsed into Waite's arms with a hug, celebrating the moment she had worked towards for four years.
"The moment your dreams become reality"#BlueHens pic.twitter.com/sKg4bIik5Y
— Delaware Track & Field/Cross Country (@DelawareTFXC) March 5, 2020
"I was so excited, I couldn't believe I was going to Albuquerque," Meyer said of punching her ticket to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. "It was bigger than me, and I was lucky to represent the University. It was something that Ryan and I always talked about, but finally came true. I was in shock, but I was also very happy."
On Wednesday, March 11, Meyer completed her final pre-meet workout before flying to New Mexico and looked poised to make the 800 finals and finish high enough to score points for Delaware at the national championship.
Of course, 2020 has been a year unlike any other in the sports world. While Meyer was gearing up for a meet that marked a lifetime achievement in her sport, the United States was coming to grips with the reality of COVID-19, commonly known as the Coronavirus Disease.
The Ivy League had cancelled their men's and women's basketball tournaments before Waite and Meyer cleared their health pre-check and flew to Albuquerque. By the time they landed, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive, news that would force the NBA to suspend its season. Thursday morning, with the meet slated to begin the next day, every major conference eventually cancelled their basketball tournaments.
Through it all, Meyer and Waite tried to keep things light and focus on the race the next day. Waite instructed Meyer to turn her phone off so she wouldn't get emotionally drained from the influx of questions about the situation. The most normal thing of the trip was going through pre-race rituals, including a shake down at the Albuquerque Convention Center where the meet was to be held.
"So grateful that I was able to see the facility and be in an arena where there were national champions," Meyer said. "That was super cool to be on a track with the best people in track & field. That was amazing, I will cherish that moment."
But when they returned to the hotel, they learned the news that the NCAA was cancelling all of its winter and spring championships to help mitigate the spread of the virus. While she understood the decision, the moment was still incredibly difficult for Meyer.
"That was definitely a very emotional time. I did not think that when I ran in Boston, that was going to be my last race," Meyer said. "I knew that it was the right decision, and I have no hard feelings against anyone who cancelled it. But it was definitely a hard moment and a hard couple of days. Thinking you were going to compete, to potentially being an All-American runner, to not having to run tomorrow. That was hard, for sure."
The two went through a natural mourning period after hearing the news, the thing they had worked so hard for ripped away from them by a global pandemic. But soon they did what runners do best: they went down to a trail along the Rio Grande and ran.
"It kind of brought us back to reality a little bit," Meyer said. "Obviously, we're really sad about the meet getting cancelled, but then we were able to go on this run and realize life is still going to go on, we still have good things."
While Meyer, like students across the country, is sorting out what the next phase of her life looks like, it will surely be full of good things as well. She'll complete her nutrition degree this spring, and hopes to then complete an accelerated nursing program. From a running standpoint, she could compete for another year collegiately, but she's also getting some interest from some professional running groups. Meyer and Waite have also bookmarked the Olympic Trials (if they still happen) as a meet to potentially qualify for, to give her the championship-style event she was deprived of this winter.
No matter what the future holds, one thing that's certain is Meyer's place in Delaware track & field history.
In a traditional year, athletes that make the finals of their event at the national championships earn First Team All-American honors, while the rest of the athletes that compete at the championships are Second Team All-Americans. As with so many things in the world right now, All-American distinctions for this season are up in the air. For Waite, there's no doubt what Meyer's status is.
"I will always consider her an All-American athlete," Waite said. "2:03 is next level. I'll always think of her as one of the top 800-meter runners in the country in 2020. She was ranked fourth in the NCAA and that's a huge deal."
Beyond her individual achievements, Meyer helped elevate the entire team.
"Her legacy is…I feel like she took the program to the next level in so many ways, and my hope is that other athletes moving forward will see what she did and say 'I want to do that too,'" Waite said. "I talked to some of our alumni after she hit her qualifying mark, they were reaching out just excited about what Michaela had done and where the program was and where it was going. I told them, 'Thank you, you were a big part of that. Michaela wouldn't be where she was if you guys didn't raise the bar to where you rose it.' And my hope is that our athletes moving forward will continue to try to raise that bar. And so any success that we have moving forward will be in part because Michaela helped raise the bar just a little bit higher."
Players Mentioned
Mid-Distance
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