Former RHS runner Megan Flynn just finished her college cross-country career by competing at the national meet with The College of New Jersey.
Legendary Robbinsville High School runner ends college career on national stage
It took until her final collegiate race, but Megan Flynn finally got what she was looking for.
The College of New Jersey senior cross country runner ran on a NJSIAA Group I champion and two Central Jersey Group I champions while at Robbinsville High School, and had an impressive TCNJ career despite some nagging injuries.
She still holds the fastest time for a Robbinsville female runner at Holmdel and Thompson parks, as well as Goddard State Park in Rhode Island.
But she had never gotten to run with her team on the national stage—until this fall.
TCNJ finished third in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional championships, earning it an at-large bid to the Division III Nationals in Hanover, Ind. It was the Lions first trip to nationals since 2008, when Flynn was a junior in high school.
“Going to nationals meant so much to me because it has been a goal of mine ever since I got to TCNJ to compete at this level,” Flynn said. “To qualify during my last cross country season after all of the injuries and setbacks I have had is the best way I can think of ending my cross country career, and it showed that all of the hard work and perseverance over the years had paid off.”
The Lions finished 31st out of 32 teams, while Flynn finished 156th out of 280 runners with a time of 22:58. She was the second Lion finisher behind Tara Nealon.
But places and times took a backseat to just being there.
Flynn said her family was able to get a flight and hotel room at the last minute so they could attend and cheer her on.
“They’ve supported me throughout my whole career, so it was only fitting for them to be there for my last cross country race,” she said.
Flynn admitted to some jitters leading up to the meet, but calmed down a bit after getting to preview the course for two days. Once the race started, it was a whole new spectacle for the veteran runner.
“There were so many people around for the entire race and it was almost like one big giant pack of runners as opposed to the race breaking up into different packs,” she said. “The race I ran was not exactly the race that I was hoping for, but I’m very thankful that I was able to have this experience and compete at such a high level.”
Despite struggling with three stress fractures to her femur in high school, Flynn became the first female superstar in a Robbinsville program that has established itself as one of the best in Mercer County and Central Jersey over the past decade.
When she arrived at TCNJ in the fall of 2010, Flynn immediately inserted herself into the Top-7 pack, usually finishing as one of the top three Lions each race. She helped lead TCNJ to its 16th straight New Jersey Athletic Conference championship as a freshman, then helped reclaim the title this season.
She finished third overall in 23:27 in the NJACs at Woodland Park this year. As a freshman she was the second Lion in and sixth overall in 22:49 in Pomona.
As a sophomore, Flynn earned All-NJAC first-team honors and, despite struggling through another stress fracture last year she made second team. Megan returned to first-team status this season.
“Megan had a tremendous season,” coach Justin Lindsey said. “She was battling injuries all last season, so to come back this strong to lead the team has been phenomenal to watch.”
Flynn was at her finest at the regionals this year, leading the Lions with a 13th-place finish (out of 269) with a time of 21:54 at Letchworth State park in Geneseo, N.Y.
“That was one of the best races I’ve ever run,” she said. “I felt amazing during the race and ran my personal best for a 6K. I kept reminding myself during the race that this could be the last cross country race I ever run and that I better leave it all on the course.”
Flynn was beset by injuries in high school, which she attributes to her tendency to try to push through smaller hurts that became bigger ones — something that would upset her high school coach, Mike Walker. In college, she said, she became a smarter runner.
“In college, I started listening to my body and if something started to bother me, I would take a day or two off until it felt better,” she said. “The competition also improved my running by teaching me how to run tactical races with over 350 people in the race. This year alone, I definitely became more confident in my ability to race tactically.”
And through the injuries, she added that she learned a lot about perseverance. An injury last year kept her out of track and field until the end of the season.
Her favorite race this year, aside from the NJAC and NCAA meets, was the Paul Short Invitational, where she beat the personal best time she set in her sophomore year by 30 seconds with a 22:13.
“That was kind of a little reminder that I could still get the goals that I had set for myself,” she said.
And while her cross country career is over, she plans on running half-marathons and marathons after graduation and is plotting to run the Philadelphia Marathon in November.
Education-wise, she has plans to attend graduate school this June in pursuit of a doctorate degree in physical therapy. She is set to graduate with a degree in health and exercise science with minors in biology and psychology, and feels that her major provided a boost in her running.
“Pretty much everything that we do for cross country can be applied to my major,” she said. “It’s kind of funny, I’ll learn something in class and find myself applying it to my training or reminding myself what types of movements are most efficient.”
Whatever it was they told her and whatever it was she did, it all worked out to be a perfect ending for Megan Flynn.
,
