‘Living up to her name’: Andale runner overcomes grief to honor grandmother at state
It still doesn’t seem real to Andale senior Anastasia Meyer that her grandmother — her mother, really, and best friend, more accurately — can no longer attend her cross country races.
When Meyer steps to the starting line at the Class 4A state cross country meet in Wamego on Saturday morning, it will be exactly three months to the day since Cindy Meyer died of a heart attack.
Anastasia Meyer’s grandmother was her No. 1 fan, always in attendance for every race no matter how far from Andale. She would have been ecstatic to see Anastasia run a personal-best time to lead Andale to its first league title in eight years, then cap her career off by qualifying for the state meet once again.
Meyer knows her grandmother will not be there cheering her on for her final high school cross country race. But in her mind, her grandmother will be the only fan she hears on Saturday.
“She will be there cheering me on,” Meyer said. “I know I can’t hear it and she’s not there physically, but she’ll be there running with me. Even though she’s not here with me, I want her to be proud of me. That’s all I want is to make her proud.”
‘What am I going to do?’
Anastasia was born on the same day as Cindy Meyer, the first sign the two would share a unique bond.
After giving birth, Anastasia’s mother chose not to be involved in her life, which left her father, Rocky, to raise her as a single parent. Although, it never felt that way to Rocky because his mother, Cindy, was there to fulfill that role in Anastasia’s life.
“I had the fortune of my parents being there for me,” Rocky Meyer said. “That was a huge advantage to have that because a lot of people don’t have that kind of support. I was able to work, go back to school, do what I needed to do to be successful. Ana was always around a lot of family and I think that’s made a huge difference in how she’s turned out. She was raised by a village rather than one person.”
But even as a child, Anastasia naturally gravitated toward her grandmother. They were separated by decades in age, but liked to joke they shared the same souls. They both enjoyed making art and singing. Her grandmother was not only Anastasia’s biggest supporter, but also her confidante. Every year for their birthday, they would go shopping and eat out at a nice restaurant.
That’s why it was so devastating when the family returned home on July 31 to find Cindy not breathing. She had been recovering from a sinus surgery, but was expected to recover. Rocky suspects the stress from the surgery is what caused the heart attack.
“To say the least, it was very traumatizing for us,” Rocky Meyer said. “My mom was the rock. My mom was the one who kept us all together. I think we have re-found each other together after she passed, if for nothing more than for her memory. This is what mom would have wanted. It’s made us closer, but it’s also been extremely hard.”
No one took it harder than Anastasia. There were days in August when she no longer wanted to run cross country. What was the point? Without her grandmother’s love, the will run had been sapped from her. She was consumed by grief and felt numb for weeks after the death.
“I just kept thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’” Anastasia said. “She was my support system. She was my best friend. I felt like I had nobody. I didn’t know who to talk to. I was worrying about things and I didn’t have her. But it got better as time went on and thinking about her now makes me sad, but at the same time I’m happy she’s in a better place and she’s not hurting anymore.”
Anastasia never did quit running. There was a part of her deep down that always knew her grandmother would want her to forge on, so she dedicated her senior season in her honor.
She laughs now when asked what she thinks her grandmother would say to her.
“I think she would be like, ‘Yes girl, go get it! You’re doing great,’” Anastasia said. “I really do think if she was here, she would be so happy and so proud that I was able to achieve what I wanted.”
‘She’s been living up to her name’
Anastasia joined the cross country team as a freshman initially to make friends. But she soon became addicted to the thrill of a PR (personal record) and seeing her times improve through hard work. She always liked that the sport rewarded you for the work you put in.
As she has progressed into a top-tier runner, Meyer has spurred great team success at Andale. Last season as Andale’s top runner, Meyer helped lead the Indians back to the state meet for the first time in a decade. This season she pushed Andale to its first league title in eight years with a 5-kilometer personal best of 21 minutes, 5 seconds.
“She works hard every day in practice and all of my girls work hard, but my younger girls she her up in the front and they want to run like her,” Andale coach Steve Rangel said. “She just has this toughness and determination about her. It’s like she’s just unstoppable when she takes off.”
Resilient is another frequent descriptor that comes up when other people talk about Anastasia.
Her father said that has always come natural to her, overcoming life’s obstacles by conquering them with a smile and a positive attitude. And that’s not just talking about her as a runner. In her spare time, Anastasia is also an all-state choir singer, a registered thespian active in Andale’s drama club, a member of the school’s marching band and an honor-roll student juggling several college courses.
She’s still not sure what she wants to do yet in college, but her father is sure of one thing: she’s living up to her name.
“Anastasia is the name I always knew I wanted for my first daughter,” Rocky Meyer said. “It means, ‘One to overcome great difficulty’ and it’s based on a Russian princess. So she’s been living up to her name 100%.
“She’s doing all of these things and somehow still made it to state, despite all of the difficulties of this last year. It has not been easy. I just don’t have the words for how proud I am of her. I’m beyond proud of her.”
Saturday’s state cross country preview
Boys
Class 6A (Noon in Augusta) — Traditionally dominated by Kansas City competition, this year’s field once again looks to be difficult for any area runners to break through. Derby and East both qualified their teams, but neither are likely to push for a team trophy.
Class 5A (10:05 a.m. in Augusta) — Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Erik Enriquez is undefeated this season and the favorite entering Saturday after running a 15:18 to win regionals last weekend. He could be pushed by some area talent in Bishop Carroll’s Carson McEachern and Andover Central’s Brett Schoenhoffer, who both should be in the mix for a high medal. Carroll and Maize have an outside chance of snagging a team trophy, but both will need good races from their packs (Cole Waymire, Cohen Ayers, Thomas Martin and Gunnar Leonard for Carroll; Kadyn Dohlman, Zach Johnson, Austin Schultz, Calvin Murrell, Aiden Werner, Alex Ayin and Sebastian Castillo for Maize).
Class 4A (9:30 a.m. in Wamego) — The team title could be a duel between the defending champions from Buhler and league rival Winfield, although Topeka Hayden and Wamego will likely be in the mix also. The Crusaders have the top-end talent in Tanner Lindahl, the 2018 state champion who has the fastest time in 4A this season, but Winfield has the better pack with Craig Labrue, Camillo Tarin and Corban Priest all likely high finishers. Lindahl will look to regain his individual title by going head-to-head with the reigning champion from Hayden, Tanner Newkirk.
Class 3A (Noon in Wamego) — Smoky Valley has a strong team that should contend for a team state trophy, while Ryan Heline has visions of contending for a high finish. Collegiate’s CJ Meyer is another area runner who should be near the front of the race.
Class 2A (9:30 a.m. in Victoria) — Berean Academy, which won the 1A title last season, is the overwhelming favorite to win another team title this season, this time in 2A. Andrew Harder and Drew Janzen both should be near the front of the race and Gavin Tucker gives Berean a third runner who could crack the top-10.
Class 1A (Noon in Victoria) — A rematch of last season’s championship duel between Beloit-St. John’s senior Caleb Eilert and Hutch Central Christian senior Collin Oswalt is in the works. Oswalt won the 1A title when the two were sophomores in 2018, but Eilert came back for revenge to win the title last year. The two are likely to decide the title again this season in final showdown.
Girls
Class 6A (12:35 p.m. in Augusta) — Derby, East and Hutchinson all qualified their teams to the state meet, but none are likely to contend for a team trophy against a KC-dominated field. East’s Ava McKinzie and Derby’s Katie Hazen are the two best bets to push for an individual medal.
Class 5A (10:05 a.m. in Augusta) — Mill Valley has won two straight state titles, but Maize South, Bishop Carroll and Kapaun Mt. Carmel all have potential to contend for a title or at least a team trophy. Carroll junior Hope Jackson, the 2019 Kansas Gatorade Girls Runner of the Year, is the defending state champion and won her first state title last year in a time of 18:17. Last week she clocked in a PR time of 17:58. Maize South’s Alexa Rios and Kapaun’s Kelsey Bruening are both strong contenders for a high finish, as are Andover’s Elizabeth Vetter, Carroll’s Landon Forbes and Kapaun’s Addie Curtis. Maize South has the best chance of unseating Mill Valley, but will need good races from Britton Kelly and Bowi Sargent, both medalist contenders, and then from the pack behind them in Claire Dingler, Sage Pauly and Kennedy Mitchell.
Class 4A (10:05 a.m. in Wamego) — Buhler is the defending team champion, but will face a stiff challenge from Baldwin for the team crown this year. Chapman’s Taylor Briggs is the overwhelming favorite to win the race, but Buhler’s Leah Bentley, a league champion, could be the second-fastest runner in 4A. Winfield’s Kayli Myers and Clearwater’s Hayley Trotter are also strong contenders for high finishes. Buhler will be looking for strong races from Lindsay Warner, Amaleigh Mattison and Krysten Hamby to contend on Saturday.
Class 3A (12:35 p.m. in Wamego) — Trinity Academy stunned top-ranked Southeast-Saline by beating them at regionals by two points. The Knights will try to do it once again at the state meet behind Jenna Elliott, Lexie Scheufler, Ariel Gish, Parker Howell, Isabella Melgren, Mollie Beaver and Hannah Glennen. Smoky Valley’s Gracie Lambert also figure to contend for the individual title.
Class 2A (10:05 a.m. in Victoria) — Remington has a strong team that should contend for a team trophy behind Lucy Brown, Ellie Van Zelfden, Alli Willour, Audrey Van Zelfden and Ava Klaassen. Brown and West Elk’s Josie Ware, who ran the fastest regional time in 2A last weekend in 19:02, figure to contend in the front of the race.
Class 1A (12:35 p.m. in Victoria) — Classical figures to be a player in the team race, thanks to Olivia Kenas, Alaina Veatch, Breah Yourdon, Marian Timler and Grace Brown.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
.jpg)