Over the course of her time at Redwood, tri-sport athlete Sydney Middleton has excelled in cross country, track and soccer, becoming a leader on and off the field.
Middleton has reached the state level in distance running and, in 2025, placed 13th in the California Interscholastic Federation state championship. At the beginning of her junior year, Middleton had not seriously competed in distance running. However, she broke through as a star, making it to state competitions where she placed 12th overall in the cross country 5K with a time of 17:46. This was just the start of her running success. In her senior year of cross country, Middleton earned first-team honors for the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL), and now is committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to run cross country and track.
This spring, at the MCAL championship track meet in May of 2026, Middleton ran a personal-best 4:55 in the 1,600-meter race, coming in second place in the event. She attributes her running success to her perseverance and hard work.
“There are so many benefits to distance running. It teaches you work ethic and discipline. It impacts every area of your life, and I’ve met new friends through it as well; there are many people I wouldn’t interact with otherwise,” Middleton said.
Middleton’s athletic skills extend past running, as she also became a key player on the varsity soccer team, which finished second in the MCAL championship. Additionally, she was named as a member of the All-League Second Team for the MCAL.
As a leader, Middleton has encouraged and pushed many of her teammates to work their hardest, which has shown on the track team as they won the MCAL championship this past season.
“Once I figured out that I was good at running, I realized that I had a place on the team. I knew I had to perform and help my team out, and since I was good, I could push other people to be great as well,” Middleton said.
Cross country co-captain Hannah Lacey believes that Middleton’s constant drive and dedication play a big role in her success as a student and as an athlete.
“She is always putting energy in. Whether that’s working at school, working at her job or competing in [cross country], she’s always able to maintain her drive for her sport and always gives it her all,” Lacey said.
Lacey added that Middleton’s leadership greatly contributed to the team chemistry.
“She really wanted to foster a sense of community. She took initiative to lead the varsity runners, and a lot of the younger runners who wanted to reach that competitive level really were inspired by her and want to follow in her footsteps,” Lacey said.
In addition to being motivated by her success, Middleton is driven by a desire to improve her skills everyday.
“I have goals and times that I want to run, but I think once you fall in love with running and the process of it, and learning what it does for you, how it makes you work harder and how it pushes you in every aspect of your life, that’s what keeps me going,” Middleton said.
