{{Short description|American middle-distance runner (born 2001)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Meghan Hunter | fullname = | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|5|31|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | residence = | nationality = | spouse = | sport = Athletics | event = Middle-distance running | club = | worlds = | nationals = | headercolor = | pb = '''800m:''' 1:58.21 (Los Angeles, 2025)<br>''Indoor''<br>'''800m:''' 1:59.70 (New York, 2026) | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = }} '''Meghan Hunter''' (born 31 May 2001) is an American middle-distance runner. She was third over 800 metres at the 2026 USA Indoor Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/meghan-hunter-14772603 |title= Meghan Hunter|accessdate=13 July 2025|website=World Athletics}}</ref>
==Early life== From Provo, Utah, her father Iain moved from England to California in childhood, and also ran in college and later became an Exercise Science professor, focusing on the biomechanics of runners and from 2003, a consultant with USATF. She has siblings Kate, John and Morgan and attended Provo High School. She won individual state championships in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres and 800 metres, and set an all-classes state record in the 400 metres of 52.59 seconds. Despite suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury she was named Gatorade’s Athlete of the Year in 2018 and 2019. She signed a letter of intent with Brigham Young University in 2019.<ref name="lewis">{{cite web|url= https://www.deseret.com/2022/3/22/22978654/byu-runner-meghan-hunter-back-in-fast-lane-after-serious-car-accident-ed-eyestone-diljeet-taylor/|website=Deseret|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= ‘Miraculous comeback’ has BYU runner Meghan Hunter back in the fast lane|date=22 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=532864|website=Runnerspace|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= MEGHAN HUNTER, THE PROFESSOR'S DAUGHTER, RUNNING FOR FOUR TITLES IN UTAH|date=17 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.sltrib.com/sports/high-school-sports/2018/05/18/championship-mettle-provo-sprinter-meghan-hunter-becomes-the-first-girl-in-state-history-to-win-the-100-200-400-and-800-in-the-same-meet/|website=Salt Lake Tribune|accessdate=13 July 2025|title=Championship mettle: Provo sprinter Meghan Hunter becomes the first girl in state history to win the 100, 200, 400 and 800 in the same meet|date=18 May 2018}}</ref> She graduated in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in communications disorders and began a master's degree in speech and language pathology.<ref name="baker"/>
==Career== Diljeet Taylor, the BYU track and cross-country coach, chose for Hunter to concentrate on 800 metres running. In May 2021 she ran 2:04.27 for the distance, and in the winter of 2022 she won the Mountain States Federation championship in a time of 2:04.08 which was the sixth fastest indoor time ever at BYU.<ref name="lewis"/>
She placed third at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships in March 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title= NCAA Division I Indoor Championships |website=World Athletics|accessdate=13 July 2025|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7156904?eventId=10229579|date=7 March 2024 }}</ref> She was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title= U.S. Olympic Team Trials |website=World Athletics|accessdate=13 July 2025|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209387?eventId=10229512 |date=21 June 2024 }}</ref>
In January 2025, Hunter won the 800m at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, Massachusetts with a time of 2:00.21 to set a new BYU school indoor record.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/02/03/byu-distance-runners-make-splash-at-national-event/|website=Deseret|access-date=13 July 2025|title= BYU runners make a splash at national meet|date=3 Feb 2025}}</ref> In February 2025, Hunter ram alongside Carmen Alder, Riley Chamberlain, and Tessa Buswell to set a new collegiate best time of 10:37.58 for the distance relay medley at the Husky Classic, breaking the previous best NCAA mark by over six seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/news.php?news_id=671073|website=Runnerspace|accessdate=7 December 2025|title= BYU Women, Washington Men Run Fastest Indoor DMRs In Collegiate History|date=15 Feb 2025}}</ref>
She finished in third place in the 800 metres at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in a time of 1:59.03.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7222970?eventId=10229512|website=World Athletics|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships|date=13 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.flotrack.org/video/14297859-meghan-hunter-with-a-valiant-800m-bronze-at-the-2025-ncaa-championships |website=Flotrack|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= Meghan Hunter With A Valiant 800m Bronze At The 2025 NCAA Championships|date=Jun 15, 2025|first=John|last=Davern}}</ref> She lowered her personal best to 1:58.21 to win the 800 metres at the Sunset Tour Los Angeles on 12 July 2025 ahead of Maggi Congdon.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.dyestat.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=672329|website=Dyestat|accessdate=12 July 2025|title= BRIAN MUSAU GOES UNDER 13 MINUTES, BYU WOMEN SHINE AT SUNSET TOUR|date=13 July 2025}}</ref> The time placed her sixth on the all-dates NCAA list.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=videos&video_id=433280|website=Runnerspace|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= MEGHAN HUNTER 1ST PLACE WOMEN'S 800M SECTION 1 - SUNSET TOUR 2025|date=13 July 2025}}</ref> She reached the final of the 800 metres at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running 1:58.42 in the semi-final.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6866/women-s-800m-results-usatf-outdoor-championships-2025 |website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=1 August 2025|title=Women's 800m Results - USATF Outdoor Championships 2025|date=31 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=news&news_id=672480 |first=David|last=Monti|accessdate=2 August 2025|date=2 August 2025|website=Runnerspace|title=Quick 800m Semi-Finals At Toyota USATF Championships - RRW}}</ref> In the final, she placed fifth overall in 2:00.53 after a tangle of legs in the final 200 metres with Addy Wiley.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.letsrun.com/news/2025/08/roisin-willis-arrives-houlihan-returns-a-brutal-weekend-for-front-runners-sunday-at-usatf-championships/|website=Lets Run|accessdate=4 August 2025|title= Roisin Willis arrives, Houlihan returns, a brutal weekend for front-runners – Sunday at USATF Championships|first=Weldon|last=Johnson|date=August 4, 2025}}</ref> She finished fifth in the final of the 800 metres competing for the United States at the 2025 NACAC Championships in Freeport, The Bahamas.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=17 August 2025|url= https://www.youthrunner.com/news/story/the-best-warm-|website=Youth Runner|title= JANEE' KASSANAVOID REPEATS IN HAMMER TO HELP U.S. WIN SEVEN NACAC GOLDS, HANDAL ROBAN ROLLS IN 800|first=Erik|last=Boal|date=August 16, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7228704?eventId=10229512&gender=W |website=World Athletics|accessdate=17 August 2025|title=NACAC Championships |date=16 August 2025}}</ref>
Hunter turned professional and joined fellow BYU alumni Lexy Halladay-Lowry the Nike Swoosh team based in Provo. On 24 January 2026, Hunter earned a win in the women's 800 meters at the Dr. Sander Scorcher in New York, running 1:59.70 despite an injury restricted end to 2025.<ref>{{cite web|title= MEGHAN HUNTER 1ST PLACE WOMEN'S 800M - DR. SANDER SCORCHER 2026|accessdate=25 Jan 2026|url= https://www.dyestat.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=videos&video_id=445108|website=Dye Stat|date=24 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=Lets Run|url= https://www.letsrun.com/news/2026/01/cooper-lutkenhaus-has-leveled-up-with-145-23-season-opener-dr-sander-scorcher-takeaways/|title= Cooper Lutkenhaus has leveled up with 1:45.23 season opener – Dr Sander Scorcher takeaways|first= Noah |last=Jampol|date= January 24, 2026 |accessdate=25 Jan 2026 }}</ref> The following month, she ran won the 800 metres in 1:59.74, leading gun to tape, at the BU Valentine Invitational in Boston.<ref>{{cite web|date=14 Jan 2026|accessdate=18 Feb 2026|website=Lets Run|title= 2026 BU Valentine: Elle St. Pierre breaks American record in 1500m (3:59.33), runs 4:17.83 mile as three women crush NCAA record|url= https://www.letsrun.com/news/2026/02/2026-bu-valentine-elle-st-pierre-breaks-american-record-in-1500m-runs-417-83-mile-as-three-women-crush-ncaa-record/ }}</ref>
On 1 March 2026, she was third to Addison Wiley and Valery Tobias in the 800 metres at the 2026 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, running 2:00.03.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=1 March 2026|url= https://www.usatf.org/news/2026/hiltz-four-peat-highlights-final-day-of-usatf-indo |website=usatf.org|title= HILTZ FOUR-PEAT HIGHLIGHTS FINAL DAY OF USATF INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS | date=1 March 2026}}</ref>
==Personal life== In July 2019, she was injured in an automobile accident after a deer jumped in front of the car she was travelling in on her way to volunteer at a local race meet. It resulted in a broken neck, with doctors initially fearing if she would run again with vertebrae fused together in surgery and months in a neck brace. She returned to track work outs nine months after the incident.<ref name="lewis"/><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=580770 |website=Runnerspace|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= Star Sprinter Meghan Hunter Injured In Car Accident|date=6 July 2019|first=Doug|last=Binder}}</ref> After her return to racing, she was nominated for a CWSA Honda Inspiration Award and the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. In 2025, she was selected by the Big 12 Conference of directors for the annual Bob Bowlsby Award. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://big12sports.com/news/2025/7/6/football-meghan-hunter-byu-and-travis-hunter-colorado-named-2025-bob-bowlsby-award-winners.aspx |accessdate=13 July 2025|title=Meghan Hunter (BYU) and Travis Hunter (Colorado) Named 2025 Bob Bowlsby Award Winners|date=8 July 2025|website=big12sports}}</ref><ref name="baker">{{cite web|url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2024/08/22/meghan-hunter-ncaa-woman-of-the-year-nominee-byu/|website=The Church News|accessdate=13 July 2025|title= BYU runner Meghan Hunter nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year|date=22 August 2024|first= Trent|last=Toone}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Meghan}} Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:American women middle-distance runners Category:Brigham Young University alumni Category:BYU Cougars women's track and field athletes Category:BYU Cougars women's cross country runners Category:Sportspeople from Provo, Utah Category:Track and field athletes from Utah Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics Category:American people of English descent