Berkley graduate inducted into Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

BERKLEY — Nicole Meisner’s athletic career has always revolved around family — sometimes without her even knowing.

After an impressive college and high school career, the former University of Detroit Mercy track star and Berkley High School graduate was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Oct. 29 at The J in West Bloomfield. Meisner, who was recommended for the induction by longtime family friend Harry Glanz, was inducted alongside Nathan Edmunds, Eric Fishman, Jacob Friedman and Eric Weberman.

“It was amazing,” Meisner said. “I had never been to one before, so it was my first time. This is my biggest accomplishment, and it was amazing to see and hear the other people, who were also awarded, to speak. Being in the presence of the community was everything. It’s hard to describe. When I found out I got it, I was really excited, but when I got there, it just felt so much bigger.”

Meisner, 32, could have filled the building with her cheering section alone, having her parents, grandmother, husband and three children, family friends, and longtime coaches all take part in the celebration, but there was one particular person who stood out in the crowd to Meisner — her 10-year-old son, Tony.

After completing her indoor season her senior year, Meisner learned that she was pregnant with her oldest son.

“Crazy story, because I did not know, which the doctor said was very common for someone my age at the time, and in great shape, to not have any symptoms,” Meisner said. “I didn’t find out I was pregnant with him until after my indoor season when I was entering the second trimester.”

Meisner would not run the following outdoor season and redshirt, returning the next outdoor season with a new member of her fan club, Tony.

To see Tony, a lacrosse star who has aspirations of his own to run track, in the crowd taking part in her biggest athletic achievement, Meisner said it was a full-circle moment.

“If it was warm enough, he’d come to the meets,” Meisner said. “It was really cool that he was there when I was winning this honor. It was really nice having him and seeing him in the crowd.”

During her high school career, Meisner was the Oakland County 100-meter champion her freshman season at Berkley while also earning nine gold medals at the 2008 JCC Maccabi Games, where she medaled numerous times, and also medaled in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2009 and 2013 as part of Team USA.

The Huntington Woods native ran for the Titans from 2010 to 2015, scoring in the Horizon League Championships in the 60, 100 and 200 meters while also running the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Meisner also earned all-league honors as part of the 4x400 team that took runner-up at the 2011 outdoor championships.

According to Mercy, Meisner still holds top-10 times in the 60, 100, 200, 4x100 and 4x400 and held the second-best 60-meter time (7.75) when she graduated in 2015.

“She had the grit and that fire and spunk, and when you add those two things, along with your athleticism, you turn into a really good athlete,” said Tiberia Patterson, Meisner’s longtime track coach. “That’s exactly what happened to her. She had a spirit about her that wouldn’t let her quit.”

Patterson, a member of the Eastern Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame and former college coach at Lehigh University, the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, began coaching Meisner in the sixth grade.

She was not only his only female runner, but also the youngest runner of his trainees, and they’ve remained close ever since.

“I don’t like seeing her a lot; I mean, I do like seeing her a lot, but I get emotional seeing a kid who was 11 or 12 years old now 30-something and you had an opportunity to be in their lives for that long and grow to be a part of their family,” Patterson, who was in attendance for Meisner’s honor, said. “It’s a situation where she’s grown into so many areas as a young lady. It’s very overwhelming at times. I gave her a hug and a kiss and I told her I love her. She’s doing a fantastic job.”

Meisner, who currently works for the city of Detroit at the Office of the Chief Investigator, has worn many different hats in the job field, but said everything she learned from track has followed her.

“If you want something, you have to put in the work and get it,” Meisner said. “That’s really big with track, because it comes down to physical ability. There’s no luck. In other sports, you have to work hard and everything, but in track your conditioning is our practice. It’s the hard stuff all the time. You’re pushing yourself physically.”