Maggie Chan-Roper

Position: Distance Height: 5-4 Roster Years: 1996-1999 Hometown: Kwai Chung

2009 Hall of Fame Inductee

Entering her freshman year at BYU, distance runner Maggie Chan-Roper had high expectations. Chan-Roper grew up in the Hong Kong area and her running legend grew even while still in her teens. As a 15-year-old, she broke the Hong Kong national record for the mile and earned the nickname the “Distance Queen.”

Chan-Roper continued to dominate the distance racing circuit throughout Hong Kong. Her ability to run multiple events, and run them well, allowed her to break 12 Hong Kong records, which she still holds. Chan-Roper’s wide range of records includes the 800m, 1500m, one mile, 3000m and 5000m. 

In 1996, Chan-Roper arrived at BYU as a highly accomplished recruit. After her first dual-sport season running both cross-country and track, Chan-Roper looked like a promising prospect. She finished 22^nd at cross country Nationals (earning All-America honors), competed at the NCAA Outdoor Nationals, was named to the All-WAC Indoor and Outdoor teams and earned Academic All-America Honors. 

One year later, as a sophomore, Chan-Roper continued to earn honors in both cross-country and track. She finished the 1997 cross country season by earning All-America honors for the second-consecutive year. The following track season, Chan-Roper raced to a sixth-place finish in the 3000m at the 1998 NCAA National Championships, earning a track and field All-America honor for the first time.

Although she was successful in all four years at BYU, Chan Roper’s junior season may have been her best. She finished seventh at the 1998 NCAA Cross Country Nationals, again earning All-America honors. Chan-Roper followed that once again with an All-America performance on the track, finishing fourth in the nation in the 3000m run.

Following a great junior year, Chan-Roper’s final season at BYU was anything but a letdown. As a senior, she did not run cross country, and it paid off on the track. For the first time in her career, Chan-Roper placed in the top 10 in two track events at Nationals, taking ninth in the 3000m and seventh in the 5000m. 

Since graduating in 1999, Chan-Roper has continued to compete professionally. She reached her highest level of competition in 2000, as she ran the marathon in the Olympics while representing Hong Kong.

Chan-Roper’s main competition came in the form of marathons. Her best performances include placing third in the 2004 Salt Lake City Marathon and first in the 2002 Richmond Marathon, in which she ran the third-fastest time in the race’s history. 

Today Chan-Roper works as the BYU Cross Country team manager, spending time trying to pass on some of her knowledge to current Cougar runners.

Personal

• B.S. in dietetics from BYU, 1999
• Currently works as the BYU Cross Country team manager

Career Highlights

• Two-time Track & Field All-American 1997, 1999
• Three-time Cross Country All-American 1996, 1997, 1998
• Finished 22^nd in the NCAA Cross Country 5000m 1996
• Competed in the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Finished sixth in the NCAA Outdoor 3000m 1997
• Finished fourth in the NCAA Outdoor 3000m 1998
• Finished seventh in the Cross Country 5000m 1998
• Finished seventh in the NCAA Outdoor 5000m 1999
• Finished ninth in the NCAA Outdoor 3000m 1999
• All-American 1999
• All-WAC Indoor in the 3000m 1996
• All-WAC Outdoor in the 1500m 1996
• Scholar-Athlete 1996, 1997, 1998,1999
• Academic All-American 1996

Before BYU

• Holds the Hong Kong record in the 800m (2:14), 1500m (4:21), 1 mile (4:58), 3000m (9:27) and 5000m (17:06)
• League cross country champion
• Named Most Valuable Athlete of Watson’s Athletic Club
• Set a new Hong Kong national record at age 15 in the mile and was crowned the "Distance Queen"

After BYU

• Ran the Richmond Marathon in 2002
• Ran the Salt Lake City Marathon in 2004
• Ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2006
• Competed for Hong Kong in the 2000 Olympics
• Competed for Hong Kong in the Adidas Oregon Track Classic 2000
• Qualified for the 2004 Olympics but didn’t compete, due to injury
• Competed in the Texas Round Up 10k in 2007
• Began working as a team manager for the BYU Cross Country team in 2008

Post BYU Honors and Societies

• Finished 10^th at the Twin Cities Marathon
• Finished third at the Salt Lake City Marathon
• Finished first in the Richmond Marathon, running the third-fastest time in the event’s 25-year history
• Finished second in the Texas Round up 10k
• Was named one-of-two South Carolina Long Distance Runners of the Year in 2008 by USA Track & Field for the second time in 3 years
• Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 2009