NSU Horizons Spring 2010

34 horizons Athletics Matt Meagher’s top priority after graduating from college in Massachusetts was to find a physician assistant program where he could continue his studies. Second on his priority list was finding a school where he could take advantage of his final year of eligibility on the cross country team. To his surprise, Nova Southeastern University opened both doors for this multi- faceted student. Meagher helped run the Sharks all the way to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championships. He was the top finisher for the Sharks last fall when they placed a surprise third at the NCAA Division II South Region Championships, earning a berth to the national championships. But, balancing running and his first year in a demanding academic program was a challenge. Meagher often wasn’t able to practice with the team, had to train on his own, and he even missed some races early in the season due to the physician assistant program’s schedule. Despite the obstacles, he earned a spot on the All-South Region team selected by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association after his sixth-place individual finish at the South Region meet. Although the NCAA Championship appearance was a first for the Sharks, it was somewhat familiar to Meagher. He had run in the meet each of the previous three years as part of his alma mater’s team, and that experience helped his new team at NSU. “When Matt spoke, everyone listened to him,” said Bryan Hagopian, who coaches NSU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams and the track and field program. “The whole team had so much respect for him because he was a three-time national qualifier. His presence was really felt and made a big difference in us qualifying for nationals.” Meagher took pride in being able to guide and teach the young Sharks team. “I knew what it was like to run at a high level. To be able to bring that to this program was nice,” said Meagher. “It felt good to show the younger runners something they hadn’t seen before.” One of the younger runners who Meagher influenced was his brother, Kevin, a freshman on the cross country team last fall. Kevin, who ran on the cross country team at his high school in Massachusetts, learned about NSU from his brother. After making sure that Meagher wouldn’t mind his little brother sharing the same college campus, Kevin, a criminal justice major, followed him to NSU. Soon, the brothers ran on a team together for the first time. “I asked him for a lot of advice on how to train because I knew it was different coming to college where races are a longer distance,” said Kevin, who is also competing for NSU in track this spring. “At meets, we would always warm up together, and I would get advice from him.” And the advice helped. Despite competing at the college level for the first time, Kevin was the Sharks’ second highest finisher at both the NCAA championships and the Sunshine State Conference championships. Meagher, who was able to run for one season at NSU because he missed the cross country season his freshman year in Massachusetts due to an injury, has now completed his NCAA eligibility in both cross country and track. So it may be up to his brother Kevin to help carry the cross country team back to the national championships. “Kevin has the character traits and skills just like his brother,” said Hagopian. “He’ll be a captain on our team this fall. He’s just like his brother—a leader. With runners like that on the team, it makes the other runners step up their games, too.” n Runner Shows Team the Fast Track to NCAA Championships By Alan Hancock Matt Meagher