Eagan Sophomore Megan Linder a Stand-Out Sprinter

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter

In Megan Linder's first race as a member of the girls varsity track team at Cretin-Durham Hall, she beat back sleet and cold temperatures to break a three-decade-old school record for the 400-meter dash.

The race, which stunned her sprinting coach, Gerald Macken, was a sign of things to come for the then-ninth-grader.

"People were gasping when she took off in the race, because they thought she was going way too fast and would never finish," Macken remembers. "It was obvious from the first race she ever had here that she was very talented."

Fast forward nearly two years, and Linder, an Eagan resident, is a state track star. Earlier this month, Linder placed first in the 400-meter dash, third in the 200-meter dash and fifth in the 100-meter dash at the Minnesota State High School League State Track and Field Class AA meet on June 7-8.

Linder's time in the 400, 56.53 seconds, was a personal record. She was also the only athlete to qualify for and compete in all three events at the state meet.

Linder's accomplishments are all the more impressive considering that she is only a high school sophomore.

"I don’t know what drives her, but she sure has a work ethic," Macken said. "Some peple just have that drive. It's hard to explain; if someone doesn’t have it, you can’t give it to them."

Linder's love of sprinting started early. As a kindergarten student, she began participating in the Eagan Athletic Association's track program under the tutelage of her father, Mike Linder. There, Linder set numerous records as she moved up the ranks of the program, according to her father.

Linder qualified for state during her freshmen year running at Cretin-Durham, but nerves and fatigue hurt her chances during the meet. Although she got into the finals for the 400-meter dash, she did not place—results that Linder attributes to the newness of the state meet experience.

But this spring, she was determined to be prepared. In addition to regular high school practices, Linder lifts weights at two local gyms in Apple Valley and Eagan, bikes and runs. She estimates that she spends at least two hours each day exercising—much of it with her father, who helps with her training.

Still, Linder was pleasantly surprised by her results at the state meet in June.

"I didn't really see it coming until I actually won, so it was a shock to me, but I'm really proud of myself and excited," Linder said.

Linder plans to focus on her sprinting and hopes for a repeat performance her junior year of high school. But the athlete has her longterm goals set even higher.

"I'm really driven to run Division I track and field in college," Linder said. "I know I have a long way to go, and there are people who are really fast, and that's what drives me to do better and stay healthy."

Someday, Linder added, she'd even like to take a shot at running on an Olympic level.

"I like sprinting because it's really about technique, and your starts and form when you're running," Linder said. "I just like the adrenaline rush of starting and knowing it's a sprint the whole way."

"I'm just extremely proud," said Mike Linder. "I believe that she hasn't peaked yet, and if she continues her hard work, she's going to be very pleased with her ultimate results."