The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Talent does his talking
Firelands’ Myers quietly becoming track and field superstar
Firelands senior Colin Myers is perfecting multiple events in track and field.
Fitting, because Myers is a multi-sport athlete, perhaps best known for his basketball skills.
No matter how much noise Myers has made at track and
field meets, the humble 6-foot-4 super athlete will hesitate to let you know about it.
It’s the quiet nature in him — but at the end of the day, if you’re his opponent, Myers is coming to beat you.
Just think of him as a silent superstar.
“I’m really laid back and I let my game do the talking,” Myers said.
Firelands coach Steve Lias, in his second season as head coach and fifth on the staff, described him best.
“Colin hates to lose,” he said. “Any race he goes into, even if he’s tired, sore, hurt — he’s still going to give everything he’s got.”
Myers, a regional qualifier last season in the high jump (11th), 400 (seventh) and 200, made noise at the 72nd Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association track meet on April 13, winning four events. He was the only athlete to win four.
Myers won the 400 (51.30), the high jump (6-0) and long jump (19-8.25). He was also a member of the Falcons’ winning 4x200 relay (1:33.67).
“It was great because everyone was cheering you on,” he said. “After each event you won, they cheer for the next one.”
The county meet was also an opportunity for Myers to go up against athletes from other divisions, something that doesn’t happen in any other meet.
Myers used it to more than just gauge where he stood — he didn’t settle for anything less than a victory.
“This is the best competition I’ve seen all year and even dating back to last season,” Myers said. “These are people you only see one time a year and so you don’t know what you’re running against because you’ve never seen them before.”
Usually, a track athlete would comfortably tell you which event they’re strongest at. When asked which one he was best at, Myers hesitated, because in his mind, he’s equally great in all four.
“Coach would probably say the 400,” he said with a smirk.
“He doesn’t like that question,” Firelands coach Steve Lias said. “I would probably say the 400, but he’s great in all four and he doesn’t like picking and choosing which one he’s best at.”
Myers’ PR in the 400 is 50.17, 20, in the long jump is 8.75 in the LJ and the high jump is 6-3. If he wants to get to state in the 400, he needs to break 50 seconds, which each state qualifier in Division II did a year ago.
Myers didn’t start track and field until his freshman year. He was heavily invested into playing baseball, but Lias needed a high jumper and convinced Myers to try it.
He was pretty darn good, jumping 5-10 in his first dual meet against Lutheran West.
From there, Lias asked him to start running on a relay team. Myers continued to impress. The rest, as they say, is history.
“I just kind of stuck with it,” Myers added.
Perhaps more important beyond any athletic achievement, Myers is just as competitive in the classroom. He shoots for high grades and his favorite subject is his agriculture class.
Myers is committed to Wilmington College for basketball and plans to major in Animal Science.
When his Firelands career concludes, he hopes it does with a trip to Columbus on June 2-3.
“I just want to talk about how great it ended,” Myers said about his career. “And just how fun it was and how special it is to get down there, because not many people go down there.”
“He’s great in all four and he doesn’t like picking.” — Falcons coach Steve Lias