Madison Memorial sophomore Lincoln Myers raises his profile

But he has made a rapid ascent in the sport.

His first exposure to volleyball was watching his older sister, Emerson, play for the Spartans and club teams.

He decided to give volleyball a try the summer prior to his freshman year in high school, after primarily playing center back in soccer as a youth.

It didn’t take long for spectators and other coaches to ask Madison Memorial boys volleyball coach Eric Peterson about the 6-foot-8 middle blocker they saw on the court.

It also didn’t take long for Myers to get hooked on volleyball. And Peterson took notice of the ambition Myers showed to learn.

“He wasn’t into volleyball until he came to Memorial and started with coach Eric — and he found out he was good at it,” said his sister Emerson, a Madison Memorial senior who competes in girls volleyball and track and field.

Others thought he had ability, too, and saw Myers’ promise.

After two years playing boys volleyball in high school and for club teams, Myers caught the eye of scouts and was recommended for the U.S. national program.

Myers — after taking part in camps, including recently in Colorado Springs — was named earlier this month as one of 20 players on the 2024 U.S. Boys U19 National Team.

“I’m really excited for it,” Myers said. “I’m a little stressed. I get to train with all these guys. It means a lot because it is really high-level play and the training is going to be great and the coaching amazing.”

The team — coached by Charlie Sullivan, who’s the men’s coach at Springfield College in Massachusetts — is scheduled to train May 3-11 in Anaheim, California.

Twelve of the 20 players will be selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship May 12-20 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Boys U19 team won the last two Pan American Cup tournament titles in 2022 and 2023 and the 2023 Boys U19 team finished fourth at the world championship — its best finish.

Myers now is part of a new group of players, including Mequon Homestead outside hitter Aleksey Mikhailenko, in the USA volleyball pipeline.

Myers comes from an athletic family, which includes his parents, Bobby and Tanya Myers, and sisters Emerson and Maelyn, who’s in eighth grade.

Bobby is a former University of Wisconsin football and track and field athlete. He was a safety for the Badgers (during the 1996-99 seasons), who played in consecutive Rose Bowl victories, and played in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans.

He also was a track and field standout at Wisconsin — notably in the high jump, clearing 7 feet, 3¼ inches.

Tanya (Eddy) Myers, a 1996 Madison Memorial graduate, played volleyball for the Spartans. She is instrumental as a motivator for him, Lincoln Myers said.

Bobby is a Spartans assistant coach for track and field, directing the boys and girls in the high jump and long jump. That includes Myers and his older sister Emerson.

“I thought it was great, especially since he’s only been in volleyball for two years,” Bobby said about his son’s selection to the U19 team. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for him.”

Emerson also is thrilled for her brother. But she acknowledged she was surprised when she learned about the national interest.

“Being from here, you don’t hear as much about boys volleyball because it’s not as popular,” Emerson said. “I think it is becoming a bigger thing. But it is definitely out of the ordinary for someone to go from never playing to being on a national team. It was definitely shocking. I am so excited for him to have this experience. It will be super beneficial for his whole volleyball career.”

Bobby indicated that athletic ability can trump inexperience in a sport and understands the interest in his son’s volleyball potential.

“Being a coach, if you are an athlete, you are an athlete,” Bobby said. “If you have a lot of athletic ability, you should be able to fit in almost anywhere and (Lincoln and Emerson) are athletes. If you are a coach, you can see they are an athlete and there is a place for them. The nuances of the game, you can teach that.”

Peterson said Myers has an excellent work ethic and he demonstrates confidence, poise and humility.

“He still acts as humble from when he first picked up a volleyball,” Peterson said.

Myers was an honorable-mention all-conference selection in the Big Eight Conference as a sophomore for Peterson’s team. The Spartans finished the season ranked 10th in the state coaches’ poll and reached a WIAA Division 1 boys volleyball sectional final, falling to eventual state champion Middleton.

“He’s really built up his swing strength and approach,” Peterson said. “The biggest thing in volleyball is your approach.”

Bobby savors coaching his kids in track and field and said he’s excited to see the pair thriving, particularly in the high jump. Early in the season, his son had improved his high jump by 4 inches to 6 foot, 2 inches and Emerson matched her career high of 5-4.

Emerson qualified in the high jump, long jump and triple jump at the WIAA Division 1 girls track and field state meet last year in La Crosse and hopes to reach state again in all three events. She placed fourth at state last year in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches), fifth in the long jump (17-9) and 14th in the triple jump (35 feet, ½ inch).

Emerson said she enjoys being coached by her father, who’s in his second year as a Spartans’ track and field assistant. She said they talk about track and field “all the time.”

“I really like it,” she said. “I know he wants the best for us. So he can be honest and really give us feedback. That ultimately means the best for us. He can give us critiques that we might not want to hear but we need to hear.”

Lincoln will take a break from track and field season for when he leaves for the national camp opportunity.

“I do my best, but I can’t change what the other guys are going to do,” said Lincoln, who’s interested in playing college volleyball. “I might as well go out there and take in everything I can to improve.”

Peterson said he believes the places Lincoln can go in volleyball “will be really special.”

“He’s going to have a great time,” Peterson said. “He will have an invaluable experience.”