Duncan High School junior Sydney Miller is a multisport athlete that participates in both soccer and cross-country. For soccer, she plays midfield, wing, and recently started playing defense. Sydney is truly a team player; this mindset can be witnessed when she stated “I play wherever I am needed.” Without question, Sydney can be considered a veteran athlete, having been a soccer player since the age of 5, and has participated in cross country since 7th Grade..

In regards to what teacher has inspired Sydney the most, that individual is both a teacher and coach for her. Sydney explained, “Coach Ledford taught me biology my freshman year, but he is also my cross-country coach. Ledford always ensured that it was okay to have a bad race day, or many bad race days for me, and he encouraged us to get right back into it and work to be better. He is a big influence on my mindset today.”

“My dad has been the most important person throughout my entire soccer journey. He was my coach for around ten years, and I still view him as such. He tells me what I need to hear rather than what I want to hear, and he has always been supportive of me.” Asked what it has taken to become successful in sports, Sydney explained, “It has taken a ton of mental toughness.

Learning that it is okay to make mistakes was the hardest part for me. Once you have that down, soccer is really fun. Another main thing is putting some work in on your own. Besides playing two high school sports, Sydney is involved in other extracurricular activities. She stated, “I am in the National Honor Society at Duncan High School, as well as a member of the National Technical Honor Society and
Future Health Professionals at Red River Technology Center.”

After graduating from high school, Sydney plans on pursing higher education. She elaborated, “I would love to go to The University of Oklahoma and major in premed. My dream is to go to med school after college, and eventually become a surgeon.”