It wasn’t her fastest lap ever, but it might have been her most important. On July 4, 2019, Meghan A. Hunter (BS ’23), then an incoming BYU freshman and star in middle-distance running, broke her neck in a rollover car accident up Provo Canyon. Following surgery to fuse several vertebrae in her neck, she was on her feet the very next day walking laps around the hospital. Her dad, BYU exercise-sciences professor Iain Hunter (BA ’96, MEd ’97), was timing as she got progressively quicker.
Meghan defied all odds by returning to the track just nine months later, but the effects of the crash lingered on as she battled PTSD and panic attacks. Faced with the decision to retire or fight through her fears, she persevered—eventually becoming a two-time All-American in the 800m and making the finals at the 2024 US Olympic Trials.
For her determination, Hunter was named a 2024 Honda Inspiration Award finalist and, in August, she was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Nominee
The Big 12 conference nominated Hunter for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service, and leadership.
3rd
Hunter’s 800m finish at the 2024 NCAA indoor national championships.
2:02.15
Hunter’s indoor 800m personal best, third-best in BYU history.
