Taylor Snaer of East Union makes the US team for the U20 World Athletics Championships
After a standout career in track and girls basketball at East Union, Taylor Snaer took the JUCO route and committed to track at Modesto Junior College.
From there, the East Union 2023 graduate did the unthinkable – she ran for the USA team for the 2024 U20 World Athletics Championships.
“I was just hoping to win an event, but it’s awesome to be named to Team USA,” Snaer said. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. It’s definitely crazy that I have to leave the country to run, and I’m just excited to represent the team in Peru.”
Snaer is the only athlete from San Joaquin County and MJC to make Team USA this year. She will compete in Lima, Peru, August 27-31.
Always looking for improvement
Snaer secured her spot on Team USA after taking home two silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash at the World Athletics U20 Championships qualifying heats held June 12-13 at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. She will also get the chance to run in the women’s 4×100-meter relay at the World Athletics U20 Championships.
The MJC freshman took first place in both heats, beating a host of runners who have been at the university for four years. Thankfully, she never let the competition get her down, especially with her father and head coach Demitrus Snaer helping her keep a cool head.
“Whenever I go to him with a request, he always says, ‘I don’t know why you feel that way. We’ve put in so much work, we’ve done this, we’ve done that, like you’re ready for this,'” Taylor Snaer said. “He has so much faith in me that I know whatever happens is supposed to happen the way it’s supposed to, and then we go back to the drawing board.”
With this confidence, Taylor Snaer gave it her all in the final, running the 100-meter race in 11.54 seconds – just 0.03 seconds behind the first place finisher. She was just as close to the gold medal in the 200-meter race, finishing in 23.09 seconds, 0.07 seconds behind the first place finisher.
Taylor Snaer was one of the top two at the trials to qualify for the U20 championships and now has her sights set on gold.
“I try to be hard on myself and want more and stuff,” Taylor Snaer said. “So I’m going to Peru to hopefully achieve something better there.”
More: Jordan Lee, who has committed to the University of Texas, wins the gold medal in the U18 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup
“Need this extra year”
Through her brilliant performance at the trials and during her freshman year, Taylor Snaer not only got on the radar of the US team, she also attracted the attention and offers of the NCAA DI track and field programs, making it into the top three of LSU, Oregon and UCLA.
She always knew she was capable of receiving offers from Power 5 schools, but the first visit to MJC was what brought her closer to her goal.
“Sometimes you just need that extra year,” Taylor Snaer said. “Maybe your senior year didn’t go as planned. For example, I was injured my entire senior year and couldn’t do anything I wanted to do. But my time at MJC shows that a year or two at JUCO can prepare you for something much better.”
In the coming weeks, Taylor Snaer will decide where she will continue her stellar career. In the meantime, she will look to represent the 209 on one of the biggest stages in the athletics community.
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
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