ZILLAH, Wash. – Sydney John Jr. wasn’t able to complete his prep track career as a senior this year at Zillah High School, but he plans to continue his running at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado, where he will enroll this fall.
John is graduating with an honors diploma from Zillah High School with a cumulative grade point average of 3.979 and departmental honor cords from mathematics, science, English and social studies.
Carrying the name of his great-great-great grandfather, Kalish No Kwnot, John has earned six trips to the Washington high school state track and field championships with his seventh cut short by the current COVID-19 pandemic.
He qualified for state as an individual in all four years in cross country and led his fellow runners as team captain.
After discovering he was a good mid-distance sprinter and being thrust into a 4 x 400-meter relay, he began to excel in track in the 400- and 800-meter distances. Carrying the fastest splits on his team, the relay squad brought back seventh place (2018) and fourth place (2019) state medals in the 4 X 400 and he individually was seventh in the open 400-meter race at state in 2019.
Recruitment for spring sports has been curtailed this year, but this will allow John to recover completely from a basketball injury. He was able to be part of the returning state championship team as a manager and finished a sport he started at the age of 3 with the UMCA Itty Bitty basketball league.
John plans to get a few more laps around the track next spring as a scholar athlete while pursuing a degree in computer science engineering.
