Crossing the finish line to shouts of the fans, Sydnee Nelson took the crown as state champion in the Division I 100 meter hurdles at UW LaCrosse on June 1, making history as the first woman in school history to win state, and second overall state champion at West for track and field.

Nelson, now a junior, is leaving her mark during her high school career, but that success didn’t happen overnight.

Leading up to her sophomore track season, Nelson demonstrated her grit and determination to dominate the sport. Coach DeShawn Dickinson watched her working overtime in search of perfection.

“She trained almost every week during the offseason just for hurdles, which helped out greatly,” he said. “Sydnee also put full effort into every single practice, getting the most out of it because we don’t have enough time to practice our events every day.”

Even while following a rigorous training regimen, she makes a great effort to create a welcoming environment for new athletes. Senior Addie Vaughn has prospered under that leadership.

“As a junior I had my first season of track and Sydnee, along with the other hurdlers, were super inclusive towards all of the hurdlers, which I respected and appreciated,” she said.

Vaughn also competed in hurdles and appreciated Dickinson’s endless support.

“The hurdle form is important and the ability to sprint consistently and as a group,” she said. “DeShawn expressed that he was proud of us.”

Leading up to state, Nelson faced top competitors, putting her through the requisite athletic gauntlet needed for state.

“At sectionals I ran against one of the top hurdlers in the state, so I knew I had to perform well,” she said. “I’m not sure why, but in my sectional meet I didn't feel nervous compared to regionals; I just went out and ended up performing my best in any meet I have been in.”

The nerves during regionals hit Nelson like a brick and forced a stronger mindset; despite this anxiety she nailed a time of 14:56.

“I had a very rough regional meet where I fell on my face while running prelims, which was scary because I thought I wouldn’t make it through regionals,” she said, “But I think that actually helped me build confidence, the fact that I needed to get back up and finish.”

Persevering through regionals and sectionals was the most rigorous part, but then came the big showdown.

“Leading up to state, I was more excited than nervous because being in that atmosphere is such a special opportunity and I wanted to take advantage of that and perform better than sectionals,” Nelson said.

Nelson took a moment to mentally prepare herself before the event.

“I was lined up next to the girl I won against at regionals, so I felt excited and knew that this was achievable,” she said. “I visualized the race.”
Her mindset going into this monumental race was ironically calm and peaceful.

“When the finals came it was raining and didn’t feel like a race that would determine who got the state title, it felt like an average race,” Nelson said.

The loud ‘pow’ of the gun rang in her ears, and Nelson was ready to prove to everyone what she was made of.

“During the race, I got out of the blocks fast, but stumbled a bit on the sixth or seventh hurdle,” she said. “So I really had to give it my all and run as fast as I could to catch up to the girl in first place. I ended up leaning first which gave me the state title.”

A moment in history determined by the tilt of a head. Her final time was 14.56, two seconds faster from the start of the season. Even though everyone was screaming, Nelson’s mind was quiet.

“After I won, I don’t remember a lot of what happened,” she said. “I had a lot of adrenaline and everything happened so quickly. I do remember hugging the girl I ran against in sectionals, who placed second.”

Nothing felt real until the ones around her shook her back to reality.

“I was filled with emotions after the race because I didn’t understand the scale of what happened until I went to find my family and friends were showing me videos of the race,” Nelson said.

Nelson knew right away she wouldn’t be there without the support of her mentors.

“When I found my coach he gave me a hug and told me how proud of me he was,” she said. “It felt like everything I’ve been working during the entire offseason had finally paid off, and I was so grateful for my coach who has pushed me each day at practice to lead me to this moment.”

Dickinson knows Nelson is not done yet.

“I went up to her and told her I was proud of all her hard work to get here,” he said. “I reminded her to continue to work hard to be better next year.”

Completing this as a sophomore leaves ample time for more medals and records.

“There is more work to be done,” Nelson said. “Ever since I won state I feel like I have more pressure junior and senior year, but I thrive on pressure.”

by Conner LaCosse

Published October 7 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue I

Nelson makes Wildcat history with State performance