Myles Misener-Daley accepts UCLA full scholarship

Myles Misener-Daley of Hamilton, Ont. has had a very successful 18 months on the track. The high school senior now holds the Canadian U18 400m record of 45.99, and won all three flat sprint events (100m, 200m, 400m) at the 2018 OFSAA Championships. 

The runner has officially accepted a full scholarship to UCLA for the fall of 2019. He chose UCLA because he felt like it was the perfect place to balance his academic and athletic priorities. Misener-Daley says that the recruiting process was very busy: “I had coaches calling me at home, at school, emailing me, some even got my cell phone number. I’m not sure how. My dad helped me with a lot of it, but it was for sure the busiest time of my life so far.”

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The sprinter also considered Princeton, Clemson and Texas A&M. “Texas was the other big contender, but in the end, I thought UCLA would have better connections to set me up for professional success after my track career.” Misener-Daley is pursuing a degree in business. 

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The grade 12 student is excited to make a big move and live in Los Angeles. “I’d never been before my recruiting trip, but it’s just like the movies. There are a lot of things going on. It’s so cool to live close to the beach, and the hot weather is a big bonus for me.” Apparently his mom isn’t thrilled about the distance, and says she will be making monthly trips to see her son. Misener-Daley jokes that he doesn’t think she will follow through on that one. 

After OFSAA 2018, Misener-Daley was selected to represent Canada at both the Jamaica U18 Invitational and the World Junior Championships. At the World Junior Championships in Finland, he made the 400m final despite being one of the youngest competitors in the event. 

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If Misener-Daley continues his trajectory, he has a strong shot at representing Canada at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Still technically a youth athlete, he would be one of Canada’s youngest track and field representatives at the games.

In terms of his goals for spring and summer 2019, he’d like to continue his OFSAA success. “I’d like to do another triple crown at OFSAA and hopefully PB in all three sprints. By the end of the season I want to come as close to Olympic standard as possible.” Misener-Daley will race up a division at nationals this year, racing senior instead of junior so that he will be in the running for qualifying for the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.