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Bethel Park cross country runner Thadeus Meyers was going to play basketball last winter, but a car got in his way. Meyers was hit by a car while he was riding his mountain bike the week before basketball tryouts. He flew of the bicycle, rolled off the hood, and ended on the ground.

Luckily, he had no broken bones, but doctors told him he couldn't play basketball because it was too physical.

But, he could run, however.

Meyers has since become one of the top cross country athletes in the WPIAL.

He showed that by winning the Gateway Invitational on Saturday at Boyce Park. Meyers finished with a time of 16 minutes 28 seconds on the newly designed 3.1-mile course in the first big meet of the season. The course had to be re-routed because of a mine fire in the park. Michol Monaghan of Laurel Highlands won the girls race in 19:51. Hempfield Area finished first in the girls team competition with 84 points while Highlands was tops among the boys squads. Fourteen teams competed with 161 athletes.

Meyers and Monaghan ran similar races in that they pulled out early and ran most of the way alone. They each took the final hill by themselves and were not challenged to the finish line. Meyers said his strategy was to let the field go out fast while he stayed back. He waited until he made his move. But once he did, no one could catch him.

He had somewhat of an advantage being 6-foot-2.

"My height helps I guess because one stride for me is two strides for most other people," Meyers said. "It was a pretty good race. I felt the field was slowing down a little bit, and I just kept going."

No one went with him.

Second place finisher Brent Rogus of Gateway said he wasn't about to keep up with Meyers, who was running well. Bethel Park coach Jack Hartnell said the fact Meyers had a year of experience last season helped prepare him for yesterday's meet.

"There is good competition in western Pennsylvania," Hartnell said. "That has helped his progress. I expected him to contend. He just had to take what he has trained for and use it, along with his natural ability."

Monaghan showed her natural ability yesterday. She chose a hill to take a lead and then held onto it.

"I am used to hills, but there were some pretty tough hills on this course," said Monaghan, a senior, who won the junior varsity race of the Gateway Invitational her freshman season. "I am happy with my time. I just hope to do better as the season progresses. This was pretty exciting to win my senior season."

Monaghan said instead of looking at the entire course, she breaks is down into smaller, more manageable pieces.

"If I don't do that, then I will be saying when will this be over?" she said. "I just try and tell myself to make it to the top of the hill and then try and make it to the next mile marker. That keeps me focused."

Meyers decided to make his move from the rest of the pack on a flat part of the course. His favorite area of it was on the incline, though. When he's not running, he still rides his bike, but is more careful when crossing the street.

"I wasn't in the cross walk so (the driver) didn't see me," Meyers said. "It hurt, but not until afterwards. In fact, I tried to get back up and ride my bike again. But the wheel was bent and it didn't work. So when I think about how I got into running more because of the accident instead of playing basketball I realize it kind of worked out for the best."

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