Rising star: Bel Air's Cydney Davis to showcase talents at USATF Nationals
As a freshman at Bel Air High School, Cydney Davis emerged as one of the city's promising up and coming athletes.
She finished third at state in Class 5A at 152 pounds at the state wrestling meet and was a talented all-around performer in track and field with a trip to regionals in multiple events.
Beginning Monday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Davis will cap her successful summer of track and field competition at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Competition. Davis will compete in the long jump, triple jump and heptathlon, which consists of the 100 meter hurdles, 200 meter run, 800 meter run, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin throw.
"It's been a great summer of track and field and I just want to finish off in a big way with my effort," Davis said. "I wanted to continue to get better in all my events and I feel like I have. To be a good heptathlete, you have to be mentally tough. Seven events in two days can mentally break you, you have to have a lot of heart and determination."
Davis has qualified for the junior nationals five times during her career and this will be the third time she will travel for the competition.
Early in her career, Davis was a standout gymnast, then found track and field, where she found instant success. Two years ago, she tried wrestling for the first time and is already one of the top high school wrestlers in Texas.
"I love the competition," Davis said. "Wrestling is something I've really come to enjoy and it's hard work, but it's helped me in many ways. Moving forward, my goal is to win a state wrestling title and also qualify for state in track and field. I advanced to regionals in various events in track and field and that was a learning experience and something I can use to build on for my sophomore year."
Davis, who competes for the El Paso Super Track Club, comes from a family of athletes. Her father, Kenny, is an assistant football coach at Bel Air and former college football player and her brother is a senior football player and college prospect at receiver for the Highlanders.
"My brother is someone who challenges me and who I look up to," Cydney said. "He works so hard and he's got a bright future ahead of him. He has so many goals he wants to me have and he's made me better every day. My dad is always there for me and he pushes me to be the best I can be. My dad has had experiences that have helped me."
Said Kenny: "Cydney has come a long way in her career. Every sport she's tried, she's found success but she's done it with hard work, dedication and passion. She has the desire to keep getting better and I'm excited about her future."
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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes.com
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Bel Air's Cydney Davis to showcase talents at USATF Nationals
