Glenwood Springs senior Eli Meyer started this season with a few quiet goals. Breaking a 33-year-old school record was one of them.

Last Saturday in Craig, Meyer raced across the finish line in 14.76 seconds, breaking the 110-meter hurdles record of 14.88 set by Trent Peabody in 1992.

“At the beginning of the season, that was kind of one of my goals,” Meyer said. “I thought it was maybe something I could obtain, but I didn’t really know if it was going to happen.”

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Meyer came close to the mark at Glenwood’s home meet, the Demon Invitational, but could not quite get there. It all came together in Craig.

“I ran close to it at the Demon Invitational but wasn’t able to break it,” Meyer said. “Finally at Craig, I broke that barrier and got through.”

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He knew he had something special the moment he leaned through the line.

“As I crossed the finish, I looked at the clock and it said 14.9,” Meyer said. “The record was 14.88 so I thought maybe. Then they posted it as 14.76 and I went and hugged my coach.”

Head coach Parker Kennedy said it was a moment the whole team celebrated.

“When someone showed us the time on their phone, we all jumped up and started yelling,” Kennedy said. “I looked over to the bleachers where the team was and yelled, ‘School record!'”

Meyer’s road to track was anything but typical.

Born and raised in Glenwood Springs, he spent most of his time outdoors. He played baseball his freshman year but got cut his sophomore year after skipping a tryout to go skiing.

“I went skiing with a friend instead of going to the last baseball tryout,” Meyer said. “I got cut, so I emailed the track coach and joined two weeks late.”

That first year was rough.

“I sucked really bad sophomore year,” Meyer said. “I was not good at track.”

But he stuck with it.

Kennedy, who coached hurdles last season before becoming head coach, said Meyer’s growth was obvious.

“When I first met Eli, he already looked fast and strong,” Kennedy said. “The other coaches told me he had made huge strides from the year before.”

Kennedy said Meyer’s success comes down to hard work.

“He’s super smart, disciplined and the hardest worker on the team,” Kennedy said. “He’s also one of the most coachable kids I have ever had.”

Meyer fought through challenges even on race day.

The weekend before Craig, he broke his finger playing spike ball with friends.

“He had a splint on his finger and then his starting blocks slipped when he pushed out,” Kennedy said. “Even with that, he attacked the race.”

Meyer said he found his rhythm after the first few hurdles.

“I heard my coach yell ‘your leg’ and I knew I had to push harder,” Meyer said. “Once I got over those last six hurdles, I could feel it was going to be a fast time.”

Meyer competes in more than just the 110 hurdles.

He also runs the 300-meter hurdles, competes in the long jump and runs on the 4×200 and 4×400 meter relay teams.

“I’m hoping to train for the decathlon this summer too,” Meyer said. “That’s my long term goal.”

At Craig, Meyer and teammate Dylan Parch both ran strong times in the 300 hurdles.

“Both Eli and Dylan are right near qualifying for state,” Kennedy said. “And our four-by-four relay team is close too.”

Meyer said the idea of going to state feels almost unreal.

“It feels like imposter syndrome a little bit,” Meyer said. “I feel like I’m not actually that good but it’s crazy to think about.”

Even with track success, Meyer has kept his focus on academics.He ranks high in his class at Glenwood Springs High School and serves as president of the Aerospace Club. This fall, he will attend the Colorado School of Mines in Golden.

“I’m excited to go to Mines,” Meyer said. “It’s a great school and it fits what I want to do.”

Outside of school and track, he still loves getting outdoors every chance he gets.

“I just love being outside,” Meyer said. “Skiing, hiking, whatever, that’s what I love to do.”

The Glenwood Springs track and field team will compete at the 4A Western Slope League meet this weekend in Grand Junction.

After that, they head to the Windjammer Invitational in Lakewood for a final tune-up before the CHSAA State Championships May 15-17 at Jeffco Stadium.

Kennedy said the team is aiming to send multiple athletes to state.

“It’s competitive this year but our kids are right there,” Kennedy said. “We are excited to see what they can do.”

For Meyer, breaking the record was just one step.

“I’m excited for what’s next,” Meyer said. “I just want to keep getting better every day.”