In what was only her second year of track and field, St. Vincent junior Reagan Meyer became a four-time state champion at last weekend’s Class 1 State Meet in Jefferson City.
Meyer, who won two Class 2 state titles as a sophomore last spring, brought home state gold medals in the same events — the 800 and 1,600-meter runs.
Along with breaking her personal record for both races at the meet, Meyer set a new Class 1 state record in the 800 as she crossed the finish line in 2 minutes, 15.12 seconds. Meyer won the race handily, finishing 6.84 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
Entering the event, Meyer’s previous personal record in the 800 was 2:18.94, which was the time ran to win the Class 2 state championship. Heading into state this season, she hadn’t finished the 800 in under 2:20 this season. However, in the 3,200-meter relay, Meyer helped her squad take fifth place with a time of 10:38 by recording a split time of 2:14.
This gave Meyer the confidence to do more than just set a new personal record. While Meyer is the type of athlete who usually remains reserved, she couldn’t help but celebrate following her winning run in what is her favorite event.
“From the 3,200, I put a lot of my energy into focusing on the 800 even if it meant not achieving other goals in the 1600,” Meyer said. “I was excited for the 800 — still very nervous though. Going through my first lap, I started to freak out a bit because it was slower than I expected, so I kicked into a higher gear my second time around.
“I remember watching the time as I went down the last 100, and I knew I had it. I was so happy after that and immediately found my parents in the crowd. I actually celebrated my race, which I don’t normally do.”
Meyer had plenty more to celebrate in the 1,600, where she won the fourth individual state title of her career. Despite not breaking another state record, Meyer actually won the 1,600 state championship by a wider margin than she did in the 800, finishing the race 8.17 seconds faster than the runner-up with a new PR of 5:13.82.
“Honestly, the 1,600 was harder than I expected it to be — it was cool all day but suddenly got hot just in time for my race,” Meyer said. “I always get nervous before my mile, but I was trying to turn it into energy and adrenaline. Once the race started, we all went out pretty fast, and I knew somebody was going to be right on my tail for the first two laps, but I knew they would fall off eventually.
“I tried to stick to my pace as best as I could, but my legs were burning badly the last two laps, which was new to me. Nonetheless, I pushed as hard as I could the last lap and got a couple seconds PR.”
Meyer’s perseverance, talent and mindset helped lead the Lady Indians to take sixth place in Class 1 with 27 points. This was only four points shy of a podium finish, but it was the program’s highest finish in school history.
Outside of two state titles, Meyer led the 3,200 team to set a new school record along with senior Abigail Kirn, fellow junior Audrey Amschler and freshman Anna Welker.
As a member of the 1,600-meter relay squad, Meyer helped the squad place sixth overall with a new school record time as well at 4:18.24. She did so with junior Jenna Unterreiner, sophomore Paige Leible and freshman Brynn Renner.
St. Vincent’s 1,600 team had much success this year, winning both the sectional and district championships heading into state.
“Oh boy, the relays this year were so fun,” Meyer said. “Going into the season, we all weren’t expecting big things out of our relays, but boy did we do good. I loved running the relays because I wasn’t running for myself, I was running for my teammates.
“Before our state races, our relays prayed together, which I think is special and shows our bonds. We all had fun with each other and supported each other.”
The Indians boys team also had multiple all-state finishes — five, in fact — as sophomore Carter Hennemann took fourth and fifth place in the 800 and 1,600, respectively, with times of 1:59.77 and 4:30.77.
Hennemann was also a member of the fifth-place 1,600 relay with seniors Clayton Gremaud, James Unterreiner and junior Kale Meyer. The St. Vincent boys’ 800-meter relay team placed sixth with Gremaud, Kale Meyer, Unterreiner and junior Jackson Seabaugh at 1:34.17. Lastly, Gremaud took seventh individually in the 400 with a time of 52.09.
Overall, the Indians finished outside of the top 15 in Class 1 at 16th overall with a combined score of 18. With plenty of these allstate Indians returning next spring, there’s plenty for the St. Vincent faithful to be excited for in 2026.
“This was definitely a year of growth not just for the girls’ team, but the boys, too,” Reagan Meyer said. “We’ve made huge strides as a team when you look at our sprints, distance and field events. … This program is going to grow because people are seeing what we’re doing. We’re a young team for the most part and have lots to give still.
“We all work hard to reach our goals and we’re determined. Looking at my senior year, I simply look forward to spending time and making memories with the people on the track. The relationships I get out of this sport is truly what makes me love it. I could run the best times in the whole entire country, but that would mean nothing to me without the love and support from my community.”
