Sydni Chandler ’29 is a prospective psychology major and dance minor from Natick, Mass. In her first collegiate event at the Wesleyan Winter Invite on Dec. 6, 2025, she won the event and broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.46.
Chandler also placed second in the high jump with a distance of 1.55 meters. Since then, she has reset the school record in 60m hurdles four separate times, the most recent being at the Tufts Quad Meet, where a time of 9.32 guaranteed her second victory of the season. The Argus sat down with Chandler to discuss her record-breaking start, the mental aspect of running, and adjusting to college track.
The Argus: When did you start running track?
Sydni Chandler: I started my freshman year of high school.
A: Did you play any other sports growing up?
SC: I played basketball and soccer until freshman year, but I focused on dance throughout my childhood, and I continued it through high school as well.
A: Does anything about dance translate to track?
SC: Not a lot. With hurdles, it helped with my flexibility and being able to have the hip flexibility to go over hurdles, but they were pretty opposite in the muscles that I worked, but strength doesn’t hurt in anything.
A: What have been some big differences between high school and college?
SC: We didn’t travel super far [for high school athletics]. [During] my senior year we went to Pennsylvania for a national meet, but we mainly stayed around Massachusetts. It was kind of just like going from town to town each week. It was a lot more laid back, and you would just practice when you needed to. Here it’s more structured and the workouts are harder.
A: What was the recruitment process like? And why did you ultimately choose Wesleyan?
SC: I didn’t know if I wanted to do track or not up until the end of my junior year. Wesleyan reached out to me and then I talked to the coaches. It seemed like a great school academically and also the team was great. I met people on the team, and stayed overnight with some of them. It was a really good community. I felt like I would fit well.
A: As a first-year, what have some upperclassmen done to help bring you into the fold?
SC: We’ve had a lot of team bonding events. We have hangouts and gatherings. We also had a bunch of captains’ practices at the beginning of the season, which were really helpful. I think they set us up well for the season and got us in shape for the workouts that we’d have in season. The captains are really good leaders, and they have great energy.
A: You’ve kind of touched on this, but track is mainly seen as an individual sport. [How] does the team make it a team sport?
SC: It is [very] individual. But for the workouts and practices, you need other people to be helping you through it, because you’re working together to get towards the same goals of getting better each day and PRing [achieving a personal record]. So it’s the energy around uplifting in the team environment. Everyone is rooting for each other, so it’s not as individual as everyone thinks.
A: Can you share what events you do?
SC: The hurdles are my main event. I do 60-meters, so you jump over four hurdles in 60 meters. You do three steps in between each jump and you try [to] get through them in stride. I also do [the] high jump, which is where you jump over the bar backwards. And then I do some sprinting events. I was just in the four by four this past week. Relays are another example of how it can be a team sport, and that really brings the team together, for sure.
A: You’ve broken the 60m hurdle record a few times now, but what was it like the first time? Did you know you were going into the record books?
SC: It was actually the first meet I had. I honestly didn’t know, but then I realized [it] with my parents. We were looking at the sign on the wall and realized my time was better than that, so that was a very happy feeling. I was excited and also surprised, I guess. A lot of shock. But I was looking forward to what more the season would bring, because I knew I had more left.
A: What’s the mindset heading into these races [since] the days are long?
SC: Usually, hurdles is one of the earlier events. So I kind of have to walk in right away and just focus on getting into go mode, and making sure my body feels warmed up and ready for the race, and kind of just focusing on my technique. In terms of getting through the long days, lots of snacks and hydration. It’s hard, but it’s rewarding.
A: Can you describe the transition from the winter to the spring season?
SC: We have a week off for Spring Break. Most people have two weeks, but we have just one week. The transition weather-wise is going to be hard because it’s going to be really cold starting off, which for track [is] a lot easier when it’s warm weather, because your muscles need to be warm. So, you’re just going to have to get used to warming up in a different type of way. In high school, the transition was a little bit different because we had more time in between seasons.
A: What’s a difficult part of being a runner that the average person wouldn’t be able to really understand?
SC: Definitely the body. You’re trying to stay in shape and push yourself and get better while also trying to stay healthy, because it’s really easy to get injured when you’re exerting max effort. Also the mental part of it, and knowing that you’re not going to PR every time. Some days are going to be off-days, and that’s hard because you obviously are always striving for the best.
A: Can you speak on the mental part more? Because I think that’s something that gets lost, and I know a lot of teams focus on that.
SC: We’re all about trying to keep a positive mindset. During hard workouts, you can’t be bringing everyone down or complaining all the time, because then it brings a negative energy that is hard to keep pushing through. Obviously, your body is tired, but you want to tell yourself that you can keep going and keep doing it. It’s about staying in the zone. And [also,] being able to talk to each other and lift each other up is really helpful. If one event doesn’t go well, you have to be able to move on from that and just focus on the next event and know that next week you can improve with the other one, but it’s time to lock in for this one.
A: A few off-the-track questions. What has Wesleyan been like? Is it what you expected?
SC: It’s been great. I didn’t know what to expect coming in, it was a smaller school than I was originally looking for when I went through my college process, but I think it’s the perfect fit. I’ve met a lot of great people, and that was what has helped me succeed and ease into the college atmosphere better than I expected. The community is really great, and the classes that I’m in are really interesting.
A: Has it been difficult being a student athlete?
SC: The practice schedule has been consistent from the beginning of the year, so it’s easy to work around. Since the beginning, it’s been 4:30 to 6:30 practices. It was a lot to juggle initially, and obviously it’s hard when I have a lot of work, and then I have to go to practice, but it’s getting easier.
A: Outside of the track, do you have a favorite place on campus?
SC: I love [the Science Library]. I’m either doing work or talking to people [there]. I also love Pi Cafe. So yeah, I hope it doesn’t shut down.
A: What are your personal goals for the rest of the year?
SC: I’m hoping to get to the 100[-meter] hurdle record. I think it will be harder for me to break, because my high school PR was over that. So I’ll have to get my time down, but just working towards that goal, maybe not even this year, but in the future, looking towards PR.
A: Do you have any pre-race rituals, either individually or with some other people on the team?
SC: We always do a team warm-up lap before everyone gets there. We do two warm-up blocks together, and that kind of gets us all together, and then we do a team chant together. And then for myself, before I get into the blocks, I do a routine of jumping, and then I hit my legs. Yeah, it’s kind of weird, but it gets me fired up.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.
Leave a Reply