Riley Meyers isn’t one to let something she hates to get in the way of something she loves.
Thursday, Meyers will don her Bethany Bison uniform one final time and step onto Division III’s biggest track & field stage—its national championship meet.
It’s the culmination of a successful four-year career in athletics, one that saw Meyers not only finish as a PAC champion in track but also earned first-team PAC laurels in soccer as a senior.
Ironically enough, both sports require ample amounts of an activity that Meyers admittedly loathes.
“At the end of the day, I hate running,” Meyers said with a laugh. “And I picked the absolute two worst sports for that.”
Cross country could make a case for the latter half of that statement, but it doesn’t change the fact that Meyers not only persevered, but excelled at two activities primarily made up something far down her list of favorite things to do.
That’s because when Meyers makes her mind of about achieving something, it gets done, regardless of the difficulties, or amount of running required.
Myers had years of indoor track experience, but her senior season was her first running for the outdoor team.
When she learned that, if she were to qualify for the national meet, she’d be the first woman in Bethany history to do so, there was no stopping her.
“I remember early this season asking Coach (Andy) U[ton how many women had made it before and as soon as he told me I would be the first, that’s when I was like ‘oh yeah, we’re going,’” Meyers said. “That was the moment I started to conceptualize how big of a deal this really is, but not for me, for all the women before me, and after me.
“I am a huge advocate on abolishing the disparity between men and women’s sports, and the fact that I get to bring this back to Bethany to all my fellow female athletes and show them what we did means the world to me.”
Thursday’s the Day
Meyers will head to Greensboro, N.C. to North Carolina A&T to prepare for Thursday’s preliminary heats for the 400 hurdles.
She enters with a qualifying time of 1:03.79, ran during the regular season at the Grove City Invitational. Her time is the No. 16 performance of the 19 entrants. The top seed coming in has run a 1:00.43. Cracking the finals will likely mean running a sub 1:03.
Meyers isn’t worried and she’s not taking a “I’m just glad to be here approach” either.
“I’m chomping at the bits to run against women who have clocked faster times than me because I know that it’s only going to pull me and put me into the time frame, I thought I could’ve run all season,” Meyers said. “I can go faster, and this is the perfect time.”
After the GCC meet, Meyers never lost but was unable to again crack the 64 second barrier. Even her winning PAC meet time was in the 64s. But last week, with one final meet prior to the NCAA qualifying announcements, Meyers was again able to dip into the 63s.
She ran a 1:03.85 at the Rowan Last Chance Meet hours away in Glassboro, N.J. It wasn’t her PR, but it did get her back in the right frame of mind.
“As much as I was attempting to PR at Rowan to really secure my spot at Nationals, being able to run a 63s for the first time since GCC was kind of one of those ‘okay, we can do this,’ type of moments,” Meyers said. “I was definitely worried that I wasn’t going to advance, and it made for a really stressful first few hours of our 6-hour drive back to Bethany.
“Taco Bell is normally my happy place, but when we stopped there for dinner waiting for the results from the final meet left in the country to roll in, I was overcome with anxiousness.”
A Season Unlike Any Other
As said previously, Meyers not only competed in multiple sports as a senior, but she did so to great success. And, because of the pandemic playing havoc with the normal seasonal scheduling, that left Meyers competing in multiple sports at the same time.
It certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart. But Meyers believes the physical demands put on her body helped put her in the best shape she’s ever been in.
“I am not entirely sure what I though it was going to be like, but what I encountered was definitely not planned,” she said. “As far as the physical toll, I felt like I was in great physical shape throughout both seasons. Having both at the same time helped me because getting the fast-twitch work in track, and the stamina building from soccer, ultimately formed me to be in the strongest and fastest shape I have ever been in my life.
“Physically, I felt great.”
Meyers noted the success in one sport carried got her excited for the other, creating a recycling event of success and excitement for the next match or meet.
But the mental toll doubling up took was something else entirely.
“Having to pick between where I was going to be for the day, or I was going to the meet or game, was excruciating because it just leaves you with that feeling that you are letting someone down, somewhere,” Meyers said. “On top of that, having classes, then practice, then another practice, plus homework, and meetings, and eating and sleeping was detrimentally exhaustive.
“I remember taking an ice bath one day and my athletic trainer asking if I was okay and I just broke out crying, for absolutely no reason. I am a mentally tough person, but competing in both sports at the same time really had made me question things.”
Meyers credits having two outstanding coaches in Upton and Alyssa Finella for soccer, along with trainers, and the athletic department as a whole in working with her and helping to push her to the success she’s achieved.
They kept her balanced and found ways to make her workout and competition schedules doable.
Bright Future Ahead
Riley isn’t the first Meyers in her family to play collegiate soccer. Her two older sisters played collegiately, and she noted that playing with her family through the years bonded the trio together greatly, and also fostered her sense of competition and drive.
So, if you put her on the sport, soccer at the end of the day, is her favorite.
But soon her playing days will be over in all sports, despite a few years left of eligibility in track.
Meyers majored in political science and pre-law and was accepted to Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
“Until the Bethany Invite this year, I had never collegiately run outdoor track, or the 400m hurdles for that matter. So, I have quite a bit of eligibility left,” Meyers said. “But I think I’ll be hanging up the spikes. With the stress that accompanies law school, I won’t have the time to be a student/athlete.
“I’m highly invested and passionate about my future career and becoming a successful defense attorney, so I think that my energy needs to be 100% on my career.”
She did leave a little wiggle room though, noting ‘I’m not going to say there is absolutely no chance, but the odds are low.”
The competitor in Meyers will never die, even if it’s forced to run.
