Sydney Horn: Higher at High Point

Sydney Horn

Higher at High Point

By Megan Zimlich

Lancaster, PA native, Sydney Horn, made a name for herself on the national stage during her freshman year at High Point University. Sydney arrived on campus with a personal best of 4.12m / 13’ 6”, and improved her mark by a foot in her first year. Setting both indoor and outdoor school records with jumps of 4.41m and 4.44m, Horn made program history by becoming the first student-athlete to qualify for both the indoor and outdoor NCAA track and field championships. A true competitor at both events, Horn placed third and sixth respectively, to top her freshman year off with a two-time All-American honor.

At the encouragement of a teacher, Sydney tried pole vault her freshman year of high school. It was an easy switch for this level 8 gymnast, not to mention Sydney’s older sister, Mackenzie, also clicked with pole vaulting. Sydney immediately took a liking to her new sport, enjoying how new and different it is from gymnastics. She trained at Vaultworx in Camp Hill, PA, with coach Matt Concannon, where practice was held in a fun, team environment and there was always something novel to challenge herself with.

Sydney hoped to continue her career at High Point University and join Mackenzie, who is three years ahead of her with a redshirt year. Sydney loved the campus, and her college decision ultimately came down to the coach and the education program offered. Academically, Sydney knew she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, so she chose to major in special education; athletically, it was coach Scott Houston who cemented her decision. Houston’s way of implementing training and his ability to relate exactly to the athletes’ experience, being a professional pole vaulter himself, is what Sydney liked most.

Houston said, “I consider myself a Guinea pig. I get to share experiences that have worked really well with the younger generation, and can also advise them to avoid the things I have found that don’t work well.”

Sydney Horn

Photo credit: High Point University Athletics

The transition from high school to college went smoothly for Sydney. It was helpful to have her sister in the new environment. The biggest change of being on her own was learning to manage extra free time in her class schedule, while also getting lots of sleep. Focusing on adequate recovery from the higher volume in workouts was a tip Sydney took to heart from her peers. Once competition season rolled around, Sydney competed every weekend. The travel exhausted her at times, but her teammates were extremely helpful and like a second family.

Indoor season started sweetly for the freshman, as she cleared at least one new personal best each meet for the first three consecutive weekends. Coach Houston commented,

“Sydney’s fall training was of good quality, but was nothing to indicate that she would be capable of the heights that she cleared. What stood out the most was the way she competed.” In only her third meet, Sydney cleared her 5th personal best of the season at 4.33m, which qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Sydney’s rise was abruptly halted with her biggest obstacle yet – contact tracing. Unfortunately, she was forced to quarantine away from campus for back-to-back weeks, missing two meets without contracting the illness.

She spent that time at home in Pennsylvania, which turned out to be a bright spot in a dark time, as she was still able to safely train. It was helpful to see family and feel supported before returning to High Point. Sydney credits her parents with her success. “They have always pushed me to be better and put me in sports ever since I was little. No matter how I performed, they always backed me.”

Sydney Horn

Photo credit: High Point University Athletics

After the quarantine, Sydney had just over two weeks to prepare for indoor nationals. This event turned out to be her favorite freshman memory, and rightfully so, as she entered the championship an underdog and came out on top.

“Going into it, no one knew who I was. I got over 14’ once and ended up third at my first NCAAs,” said Sydney. Seeded tenth and finishing third with a double PR at 4.41m, and becoming an All-American was a fun surprise that exceeded her and her coach’s expectations.

In Coach Houston words, “Sydney is willing to take challenging, calculated risks better than most. Her ability to listen, execute cues, and implement changes in meets, in full confidence, allowed her to reach higher heights faster, which was very exciting and unexpected.”

Sydney carried the momentum into the outdoor season, where she reached a new personal best of 4.44m at the Big South Outdoor Championships, winning the meet, and breaking her own previous school record. This was a special weekend for the High Point track and field team as a whole, celebrating their first ever triple crown. Following that, Sydney qualified for outdoor NCAA’s, to place sixth in difficult conditions, becoming a two-time All-American.

Looking ahead to this upcoming year, Sydney is most excited about spending more time with her pole vault squad of ten men and women. This is a special group who contributes to her motivation by holding her accountable during workouts. Sydney is hopeful that the meets in the upcoming season will not have to adhere to Covid restrictions. Aiming to improve her running efficiency to get faster and compete for a national title, Sydney intends to participate in the next Olympic trials and to train post-collegiately.

We are certain that Sydney’s competitive drive and coachability will springboard her to success!