2011 Hall of Fame Inductee
Whether chasing steeples or running her four children to various activities, former BYU track and cross country athlete Courtney Pugmire Meldrum has never lost sight of her goals or let those around her lose sight of theirs.
Meldrum launched her Cougar career winning 5,000 meters at the 1996 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships with a time of 17:59.66. She also took the WAC Outdoor Championships 5,000-meter and earned All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 3,000 meters in a time of 9:23.05 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That same season, Meldrum set an American record with a time of 10:23.47 in her first time running the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic trials. (She went on to break her own record by two seconds her junior year.) Meldrum was also a cross country All-American and WAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
As a sophomore, Meldrum led her fellow Cougars to their first national championship in cross country with a fifth-place finish in 16:58 at the NCAA meet. Meldrum continued her victorious career garnering All-American honors with a time of 16:12.39 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She also won the U.S. Championships and the U.S. Junior Championships in the steeplechase.
Meldrum graduated from BYU in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in community health.
A self-proclaimed domestic engineer and household CEO, Meldrum has been married to her husband, Jeremy, for 13 years and has four children. Her children participate in everything from soccer and gymnastics to singing. They love family movie nights (with lots of popcorn) and they love playing games together.
Along with mothering, Meldrum has served as Relief Society president and Young Women’s president in her ward, a coach for youth soccer teams, a member of PTA boards and a volunteer in elementary school classrooms. She volunteers to give motivational speeches to young people on reaching their goals and their full potential. She and her family also visit nursing homes on a regular basis and help out with activities for the residents.
Meldrum continues to race, pulling off a second-place and third-place finish in the St. George Marathon since leaving BYU. But her most important races since graduating haven’t been the races to the finish line. Rather, her racing to help others in need has shown her commitment to the BYU vision “Enter to learn, go forth to serve.”
Personal
- B.S. in community health from BYU, 2001
- Married to Jeremy Meldrum and they have four children
Career Highlights
- Three-time cross country All-American 1995, 1996, 1997
- Four-time track and field All-American 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001
- WAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year 1996, 1997
- WAC Cross Country Champion 1996
- Cougar Club Competitor Award winner 1997
- 3000m steeplechase USATF Champion 1998
- Broke American record in 3000m steeplechase 1998
Before BYU
- Four-time league champion in the 800m while competing for Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California
- Two-time league champion in the 1600m
- Won the league title in the 3200m in 1995
- Placed 2nd in the state cross country championships as a senior
- Placed 2nd at the California State competition in both the 1600 meters and the 3200 meters
- Represented the United States in international competitions in Fiji, China, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand
After BYU
- Raised her four children as a stay-at-home mom
- Self-proclaimed domestic engineer and household CEO
- Continues to run in marathons across the country
Post BYU Honors and Societies
- Placed second and third at the St. George Marathon
- Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 2011