Final weekend, Abbey Glynn attended the prep state observe and subject meet at Jefferson County Stadium, and it grew to become a visit down reminiscence lane.
The Colorado Buffaloes’ star wound up watching a couple of movies of herself from her time at Mead Excessive Faculty.
“It’s loopy how far I’ve come,” she stated.
Now a fifth-year senior at CU, Glynn will compete within the NCAA West regional preliminaries in Fayetteville, Ark., on Thursday and Saturday. One of many nation’s finest 400-meter hurdlers, Glynn can also be hoping to assist the Buffs qualify for the NCAA championships within the 4×400-meter relay. The NCAA championships shall be held June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore.
Total, CU has 32 student-athletes competing in Fayetteville. The meet acquired underway Wednesday and wraps up Saturday.
For Glynn, this shall be her fourth journey to the NCAA regionals. She has earned All-American recognition 5 instances in her profession, together with first-team honors final 12 months after she positioned eighth within the NCAA finals of the 400-meter hurdles.
“Actually, sure,” she stated when requested if she’s amazed by her collegiate profession.
A 2019 graduate of Mead, Glynn was an distinctive multi-sport athlete. In observe and subject, she was a four-time state qualifier and 14-time state medalist. She helped the Mavericks win 800-meter medley relay titles in 2018 and 2019 and he or she secured her lone particular person state title in her final race, the 300-meter hurdles, in 2019.
At CU, nevertheless, she has discovered one other gear, largely as a result of she’s been centered on one sport whereas additionally getting extra teaching than was attainable in highschool.
“Right here, you get much more one-on-one time and extra particular exercises in direction of who you’re and the way you practice,” she stated.
In highschool, Glynn didn’t have quick begins, however completed sturdy. In that regard, she stated, she hasn’t modified a lot. However general, she’s significantly better.
“My approach over the hurdle, my confidence is … I undoubtedly know what I’m doing hurdling now,” she stated. “In order that’s the half that I see an enormous distinction in.”
On the Pac-12 championships on Might 12 in Boulder, Glynn completed second within the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.31 seconds. With that point, she broke her personal college file and hit the automated qualifying commonplace for subsequent month’s Olympic Trials in Eugene. Glynn presently ranks seventh within the NCAA and twenty third on this planet within the 400 hurdles.
Among the finest elements of that race, nevertheless, was listening to from former CU star Gabby Scott. When Glynn was a senior at Mead in 2019, Scott set the CU college file within the 400 hurdles. Glynn, who didn’t run her first 400 hurdles race till a couple of week earlier than the 2021 Pac-12 championships, now owns the 4 quickest instances in CU historical past.
“Actually, I by no means anticipated to do that,” she stated. “I simply thought, like, I used to be gonna go to CU and achieve success, however not as profitable as I’m. … I by no means anticipated myself to have the ability to beat Gabby Scott. That was such an enormous identify once I was in highschool. It simply means a lot that she has reached out to me after all of the success that she has had, too.”
On Might 11, Scott ran the Twenty fourth-best 400-meter time on this planet for 2024. The following day, Glynn posted her 55.31 within the 400 hurdles.
Glynn’s success on the observe has impacted her off the observe, too.
“I’ve much more confidence in who I’m as an individual than I did coming in my freshman 12 months,” she stated. “It’s numerous simply life expertise, too.”
Going to varsity so near residence has allowed Glynn’s household to be there alongside the way in which, too. Her mother and father haven’t missed a meet, she stated.
“Seeing how shut my household is and like how a lot they’re keen to assist me and my desires, I believe, has been the very best expertise,” she stated.
Glynn stated that two weeks in the past, when she graduated and CU hosted the Pac-12 championships, felt like a turning level and “prefer it was all coming to an finish.”
Quickly, Glynn’s collegiate profession will come to an finish. She’s undecided what the long run holds, however she intends to be concerned in sports activities ultimately and proceed coaching to see how far she will go in observe.
Proper now, nevertheless, her focus is on Fayetteville and ensuring she will get again to the NCAA championships and make some noise there, too.
“I’m not able to be finished (at CU), that’s for positive,” she stated. “I really feel fairly good. It’s mainly what we’ve ready for all season, so there’s numerous confidence going into this weekend.”