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The returning Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year, McLaughlin broke her own national high school and World Junior (Under-20) records in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 54.03 seconds at the Non-Public A championship meet this past season. The 5-foot-9 senior also won the 400-meter dash in a meet-record 51.88 and the 200-meter dash in a state-record 22.96, both of which ranked as the No. 1 times among U.S. prep competitors in 2017 at the time of her selection. A 2016 U.S. Olympian, McLaughlin won the 400 hurdles at this month's New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 54.22-the seventh national title of her career to go with a World Youth title. The 17-year-old's winning time of 38.90 in the 300 hurdles at April's Arcadia Invitational set another national prep record by more than a full second. She clocked the fastest 400-meter relay split in high school history (49.85) at NBNO this past weekend, and during the indoor season she broke national records in both the 300 and 400-meter races.
McLaughlin has maintained a 3.46 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Kentucky this fall.
A volunteer for the Central Jersey Chapter of HOPE Worldwide, McLaughlin has participated in multiple community service projects, including distributing fire safety and disaster relief information on behalf of the American Red Cross. She has also served as a soup kitchen staffer and as part of a teen outreach project in association with her church community, and has donated her time to Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. "At this point in her young career, Sydney McLaughlin captures imaginations in a way that is rare," said Doug Binder, DyeStat.com Editor-in-Chief. "She seems to have all the tools and traits that could lead to her becoming the face of USA Track and Field in years to come. She is on her way to becoming a global star in the sport, a Sanya Richards- or Allyson Felix-type star."
