Mack de la Rocha
Pro
The Track Phenom Who Chose College Over Riches
If you've followed Sydney for the last two years, you know she's good at creating moments—history-making moments. In 2016, at the age of 16, she became the youngest track and field athlete to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1980 (she turned 17 during the Rio Games). She lit up social media when she ran a national high school record 49.85-second 400-meter relay split in June. And while many teen track and field runners on the rise with credentials less impressive than Sydney's have gone pro in recent years, the New Jersey native decided to pass up what could have been seven figures annually as a pro.
If you've followed Sydney for the last two years, you know she's good at creating moments—history-making moments. In 2016, at the age of 16, she became the youngest track and field athlete to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1980 (she turned 17 during the Rio Games). She lit up social media when she ran a national high school record 49.85-second 400-meter relay split in June. And while many teen track and field runners on the rise with credentials less impressive than Sydney's have gone pro in recent years, the New Jersey native decided to pass up what could have been seven figures annually as a pro.
