Laura Meyers - Women's Cross Country Coach

Laura Meyers

Title:
Volunteer Coach

At USC: Laura Meyers begins her second season as a volunteer coach for the Women of Troy cross country team. She ran only during the 2007 season for USC as she completed her collegiate eligibility and began her grad school work, after transferring from Columbia...It may have been just one season, but she had a major impact on the program as she served as team captain in an exciting turn-around season for the Trojans...She was the Trojans No. 3 runner all season, posting a consistent effort each week and winning the final regular season meet at CS Fullerton on Oct. 19 with a time of 18:08...She was USC[apos]s second finisher at the Pac-10 Championships with a time of 21:28.33...Placed third among USC runners at the NCAA West Regional with a time of 22:05.30...Also shined during the track and field season, helping USC win the Dual Meet vs. UCLA by winning the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 11:12.18...Placed her name in the USC record books by running the third-fastest 3000m steeplechase in school history with a time of 10:49.95 at the Stanford Invitational on April 5. At Columbia: Began her collegiate career running cross country and track at Columbia...Helped lead Columbia to Ivy League championships each year she ran cross country (2003-05)...Qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2004 and 2005...Ran a 10:24.83 in the 3000m steeplechase in 2006 for the third-fastest time ever by a Columbia runner....Finished her career at Columbia with the 18th fastest time (18:05.1 - 2005) at their home course, Van Cortlandt Park...She was a 2006 track and field first-team All-Ivy League selection and won the 2006 outdoor ECAC steeplechase, ran 10:26 at the NCAA East Regional to finish seventh and placed fifth at the 2005 NCAA East Regional with a time of 10:28...She was a three-time NCAA East qualifier in the steeplechase and ranks sixth all-time in the event for Ivy League runners. High School: Meyers is a 2003 graduate of Maranatha High in Pasadena, Calif...She was one of the most talented scholastic distance runners in California during her four years at Maranatha...She earned the Olympic League MVP and was selected all-league all four years...Won the 2002 Olympic League individual title with a meet-record time of 17:39 on Nov. 5 at Hartwell Park...She also was named All-CIF four straight years, finishing first in 1999 and 2000...Placed fourth in the 2000 state Division IV cross country meet and won it all in 2002...Was a four-time Maranatha team MVP selection, leading them to a second-place finish in 2000 and a third-place finish in 2002 at the California state championships...She is the Maranatha school record-holder in cross country, a two-time winner of the Mt. San Antonio Invitational, a meet record-holder at the Bosco Invitationl, winner of the Woodbridge Invitational, three-time winner of the Bell-Jeff Invitational and winner of the Meet of Champions Invitational with the second-fastest time in meet history...Also was named All-American in the 3000m steeplechase in 2001...She holds the Maranatha school records in the 400m, 800m, 1600m and 3200m...Also played soccer for four years at Maranatha and was first-team All-CIF. Personal: Graduated with a 3.489 GPA from Columbia in May of 2007 and is now pursuing a Master[apos]s in Public Health in the Keck School of Medicine at USC...She is in the Global Health Leadership Track with a potential goal of later getting an MD...Would like to become an international public health director or developer...Majored in Economics and Spanish at Columbia and received Dean[apos]s List honors in 2003 and 2004...Didn[apos]t really begin running competitively until high school.