Manheim Township grad, pole vaulter, sets sights on 2028 Olympics

The wow moment came when Sydney Horn was waiting in line to enter the track. All she had to do was turn around.

There was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. There was Grant Holloway. Two giants in the sport who will be competing this month at the Paris Olympics.

Horn won’t be joining them this time. Her Olympic dreams are a little farther down the road.

The Manheim Township graduate, a former PIAA champion in the pole vault, earned an invitation to the United States track and field team trials in Oregon in June.

It was a preview of sorts. A chance to see what it will take to make the U.S. team in four years. A chance to walk alongside the best in the nation.

Horn, who has one more year of eligibility at High Point University in North Carolina, has set her sights on the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

“It’s realistic,” she said. “It’ll definitely take time and consistency with my training.”

The idea of becoming an Olympian entered Horn’s mind during high school. It was more a childhood musing than an ambition at that point. Her friends brought up the possibility, and Horn allowed herself to imagine it coming true.

Horn started pole vaulting during middle school. The event was always calling her name. Older sister, Mackenzie, was a standout at Manheim Township, and Sydney’s background in gymnastics made her a natural candidate.

One day, Jason Lyons, an educational technology teacher and pole vault coach at the time, suggested Sydney give it a try. It was life-changing advice. Eventually.

“I was terrible at it my first year, and I didn’t really like it,” Horn said. “I started improving, and you’re always having fun when you’re PRing.”

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Horn became one of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s all-time greats. Her high school best of 13 feet, 5 inches ranks third in league history, behind her sister and Solanco’s Katie Urbine.

High Point is where loftier goals came into view. Horn’s potential was instantly apparent to pole vault coach Scott Houston.

“From the beginning, Sydney has created a lore around her that says, ‘I’m here to compete and to win,’ ” Houston said.

Horn has been a national championship contender for her entire collegiate career. She has consistently finished in the top five indoors and outdoors with a second-place indoor result in 2022 being her high-water mark.

“I’m a newer coach; I’m a younger coach,” Houston said. “Coming across a Sydney Horn is something that happens very rarely. It’s special when it does.”

Horn is working toward her master’s degree in special education. She redshirted this outdoor season and focused on classes and student teaching.

Competing at the U.S. trials was viewed as a bonus because she couldn’t train full time. Horn cleared 13-9.25 and failed to get through prelims.

The next four years are when she’ll turn her attention toward making the Olympic team. She’ll chase a national championship at High Point and likely stay in the area after grad school to continue workouts.

Horn’s PR is 14-10. The Olympic standard is around 15-8. She’ll have to consistently raise her marks about 10 inches to have a shot.

“The stars have to align a little bit,” Houston said. “It’s challenging no matter who you are. I think it’s within her grasp. She’s very talented. She’s very focused and motivated. She has a great plan ahead.”

Horn showed her students, kindergarten through fifth grade, a video of her pole vaulting. Teaching is her future. Track is her temporary mission.

The Manheim Township grad is putting the next stage of her life on hold while she pursues the highest level her sport has to offer. She hopes to join the athletes who caught her attention at the trials.

“I want to put all my effort into it and see what I can actually get out of it,” Horn said. “I feel like I wouldn’t be satisfied if I graduated and I was done. There’s more there.”

Four more years. Then, maybe, a trip to Los Angeles.