There are values you can only coach.

There are experiences you can never predict.

There are customs you can’t break.

And there are competitors who challenge those beliefs, like senior sprinter/hurdler Tamaal Myers.

For Myers, who moved all the way from a small track and field scene in Detroit, the possibilities of new experiences were enough to motivate him to compete collegiately in California.

In middle school, Myers watched his older sister run high school track. He followed in her footsteps, competing on his high school track team.

Myers said he saw California as not only somewhere to further his track career but also a place that could open new doors for his two other interests – social media and fashion.

Leaving Detroit carried a lot of risk and responsibility – a concept Myers understood.

“Being in that environment, it was like, ‘OK, I actually have to be 10 times better than everybody,’” Myers said. “Going into national meets, having that mindset like, ‘OK, I have to shock myself, and I have to shock the world and put myself on notice in order to be where I want to be and win, ultimately.’”

After being a 21-time All-American and two-time AAU national champion, Myers received a call from then-USC sprint and hurdle assistant coach Joanna Hayes, which marked the beginning of his collegiate career in Southern California.

For Myers, the reality of competing for both sides of a historic rivalry has been bittersweet.

Preceding his first chapter at USC, Myers pulled his hamstring twice during his senior year of high school, preventing him from competing for the rest of his high school career.

“It was a really big mental block for me,” Myers said. “I’m getting ready to go to college – at this point, I should be getting better and not necessarily not progressing. I was ready to run fast. Now I can’t run at all, and I have to do all this rehab.”

Myers, who had never dealt with respiratory problems, said he also dealt with the long-term effects of a COVID-19 infection.

“Some practices were better than others, but he was always consistent with his effort because he kept his eye on the goal – and that’s something that you can’t coach,” said UCLA sprints/hurdles assistant coach Mecca McGlaston. “It’s something that is instilled in the athlete and something that they have within themselves. It makes it easier as a coach, but it still takes a lot of courage for the athlete to put forth that type of effort.”

Myers said despite the unprecedented setbacks he faced, they taught him there is always a solution, introducing a new mindset he sought to use in a new environment.

The Detroit local said his choice to transfer schools was less about what USC lacked and more about what UCLA had to offer.

“It was a mix between the coaches and a school like UCLA, (whose) education is undeniable,” Myers said. “I feel everybody’s so supportive and welcoming, which is not very different from USC, but here … it gave me a ‘this is home’ feeling, and once you get that feeling (there’s) not much that could beat it.”

Becoming a Bruin, however, began long before Myers realized.

As a Trojan, Myers was coached by Hayes, who later transferred to become UCLA’s director of track and field shortly before Myers arrived in Westwood.

Myers said Hayes’ presence and familiarity were enough of a daily motivator and inspiration the past four years to continuously perform at his best, no matter the environment.

“Coach Hayes is really like a second mom to me,” Myers said. “Being a collegiate athlete is so much easier for me because I know, at the end of the day, win, lose or draw, she always has my back. Then transferring with her, … where she is in control of the boat, it was so eye-opening.”

Alongside sprinters senior Naomi Johnson and junior Taylor Snaer, Myers said he looks up to teammate Gabriel Clement II. Despite Clement being a year younger than Myers, the former’s daily encouragement toward the latter is something Myers said he appreciates.

“My teammates and my academics are just as important as what we do on the track, and they’re very supportive in that way,” Snaer said. “Being able to support one another is a huge thing. On the sprint side, we look for different attributes for our events, but we’re all going in the same direction.”

In any rivalry, there’s always a battle to be the best.

And if there is any testament to Myer’s growth over the past four years, it’s the annual USC-UCLA dual meets.

In 2024, Myers placed second in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, competing with USC at the UCLA dual meet immediately following his hamstring injury. However, in the following two years competing for the Bruins, the senior championed the event.

Myers said sweeping USC last season at the dual meet was one of the greatest highlights of his collegiate career. The Bruins were the underdogs, as the Trojans’ men’s team had just placed first in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“Every year, the dual meet brings out something special in me, especially my history at both schools,” Myers said. “A big factor that really changed the difference in the results was my confidence. … I’m excited to compete with the team. I don’t want to let my team down.”

Myers has also taken advantage of the opportunities in Los Angeles to pursue his dreams. Since leaving Detroit, one of his favorite things to do is modeling for fashion brands.

And, after four long years of moving, an injury, a rivalry transfer and the growth that has sprouted from it all, Myers is just moments away from saying farewell to his collegiate career.

“I’ve silenced all of the noise, and I’m just present in this moment, and I’m happy to be here. And regardless of what people think I can do, what people think I should do, I’m doing me, and that’s just quite literally how my journey feels – and I’m proud of it,” Myers said.