Sydney Juszczyk continues to star with Gatorade Missouri Track and Field POTY award
ST. LOUIS (BVM) — Sydney Juszczyk has been an incredible athlete for quite some time. Initially, she gained a love for football, playing quarterback and outside linebacker for her local youth team.
But it wasn’t before long that Juszczyk began growing a love for the family sport: track and field. Specifically, the family has a history in the javelin, as Sydney’s father, Peter, was the 1999 Missouri Valley Conference men’s outdoor champion in the event at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Sydney’s mother also ran track collegiately.
Prior to entering high school, Sydney was already becoming a javelin star just like her father. During her eighth grade year, she won two national championships at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics and the AAU Junior Olympics in Michigan. She also broke the national AAU record for 14-year-old girls with a throw of 140 feet, 14 inches.
During her time in high school at Trinity Catholic, Sydney earned state titles in the javelin in both 2018 and 2019 before her junior season in 2020 was canceled. She brought home another state title this past spring with a throw of 151-10. She also finished sixth in the triple jump and hurdles during this year’s state competition, while leading Trinity Catholic to a team state title.
“Sydney is a premier javelin thrower, but she’s also an all-around athlete who would excel in anything that she set her mind to,” Trinity Catholic assistant coach B.J. Torbert said in a Gatorade press release. “She’s served as an incredible teammate and a leader on every team she’s been involved with. One of the highlights of my coaching career is the fact that I’ve had the honor of working with her.”
Perhaps her greatest highlight of the season was achieving the nation’s No. 6 all-time best javelin throw at 177-11 at the Border War Championships in April. Predictably, the throw was also the best among all prep competitors in the 2021 season. The impressive mark also led to an opportunity for Sydney to compete in the Olympic trials.
This summer, Sydney’s incredible season was honored with a Gatorade Missouri Track and Field Player of the Year award. Not only was the track star’s athletic performance recognized, but also what she does outside of sport, maintaining a 3.61 GPA and setting up her own non-profit community service group called Syd’s Community Projects.
In the fall, Sydney will take her incredible talent to Texas Christian University (TCU). Already having past success on the national scene, Sydney should have no problem making an immediate impact for the Horned Frogs while continuing to chase an Olympic appearance.
