Swan Valley Running Ace Poised For Another Tremendous Season

Sydney Kuhn is extremely consistent. A consistently great runner that is.

The Swan Valley High School senior, coming off a pair of state championship victories a year ago, has consistently decreased her times and increased her performances throughout her time as a track athlete.

As she enters her final prep season Kuhn now approaches elite status.

“Sydney had a lot of success in the state finals last year,” said Vikings girls coach Lauren Huebner. “In the sport of track and field, sometimes your biggest competitor can be the clock. Sydney has the potential to set some more school records and chase state records this year. She will have to race against some other high caliber athletes to work to achieve these goals.”

If the name Huebner sounds familiar, that’s because she was an exceptional track athlete as well – first at Swan Valley and then at Saginaw Valley State University where she was a two-time national champion. And it’ll be up to Huebner who will decide exactly which events Kuhn will run. Kuhn raced to first-place finishes in the 200-meters (:24.89) and a personal record of :55.06 in the 400-meters at the state meet.

“She is absolutely a top tier athlete in a multitude of events,” viewed Huebner. “The decision of which races to run her in comes down to the competitiveness of the field and her goals for the season. She has a ton of potential in any event up to the 1600.”

Huebner said Kuhn holds the school record in the 200m (:24.89), 400m (:54.33), 800m (2:12.75), 1600m (5:06.45), and is a member of the record-holding 4x400m relay team (4:05.70). “Her range of talents is impressive,” noted Huebner. “And I am confident that list will grow after this final outdoor season.”

Kuhn, who began running at the age of 10, also played volleyball all four years at SVHS but stopped playing basketball her junior year to concentrate on the indoor track season. All she did during the indoor circuit was set personal records in the 60m dash (:7.64) and the 400m (:54.33) – which is currently the top time in the state as well as the Midwest.

If you think Kuhn is super driven, consider the fact that despite a rigid practice schedule, she sports an impressive 3.9 grade-point-average and is a member of the National Honor Society. Additionally, she is a Student Government representative, played both travel volleyball and basketball, and has volunteered at youth volleyball and basketball camps as well as volunteering for the Pay It Forward Community Outreach program.

“I’ve learned to manage my time by completing my school work and studying when I have any free time,” Kuhn said. “Then I can focus on my practice.”

Speaking of practice, Kuhn has been training with Austin Stadler, who is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Saginaw Spirit hockey team. She got paired up with Stadler by happenstance. Kuhn’s father Dan, who ran track collegiately at Central Michigan University, met Stadler about three years ago at a Tim Horton’s Restaurant when Stadler was still with the Flint Firebirds.

“I asked if he’d consider training Syd,” Dan Kuhn explained. “The Spirit were looking for a new coach because their strength and conditioning coach was leaving. I asked Austin if he’d be interested in the Spirit job and he was. So, I called my friend Dick Garber and the rest was history. Unbelievable coincidence, but he’s played a major role in Syd’s success. Her strength and power have gotten scary and that’s all Austin’s doing. He’s our ‘secret sauce’ for sure and knows her as good as anyone.”

Stadler said that in the offseason, they try to train 3-4 times a week. During the track season they train 1-2 times per week. He said that Kuhn has her own specific training needs, so they spend their time focusing on her deficiencies and capitalizing on the things she is already good at.

“My ultimate objective is to make sure Syd is healthy come competition time so she can do her thing,” Stadler said, adding “that in a lot of ways her program is like following a cooking recipe. Each ingredient or exercise we do is programmed with a specific purpose.”

“Syd isn’t close to her peak yet,” he added. “As great of an athlete as she is, she still has a young training age. The coaches at the University of Michigan are going to have a great time developing her further.”

Besides Michigan, other colleges that had an interest in Kuhn’s talents included Kentucky, Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Michigan State, and Grand Valley State University.

“Syd is very excited about her commitment to the University of Michigan,” Huebner said. “She had toured multiple universities over the last year and thought hard about her decision and is very excited for her future with the UofM organization and the other great athletes in her recruitment class. With her commitment to Michigan, Sydney has voiced interest in getting back into the 300m hurdle race in preparation for potential competition in the 400m hurdle race at the collegiate level. I am excited for her to re-orient to the hurdle race and work to continue her reign in the 200m and 400m events.”

Kuhn said that a big part of track is the mental aspect of it, whether it’s comparing yourself to other runners or thinking you can’t accomplish something. “I’ve learned to trust my abilities and trust my training as well as keeping a positive mindset going into races and practices.”

“In 2025, I hope to defend my state titles as well as claim more records from our high school,” viewed Kuhn. “I would also like to perform well at outdoor nationals and be an All-American again.” She added that the 400 meters is her favorite event.

“My biggest influence has probably been Sydney McLaughlin (Levrone),” Kuhn said. “But my dad has also been a strong influence for my love of running. He pushes me to continually improve and get better.”   McLaughlin-Levrone is a hurdler and sprinter who competes in the 400-meter hurdles and is the world record holder in that event.

Dave Dawson, the Swan Valley boy’s track coach, said the sky is the limit for Kuhn. “Can she do more?  Time will tell. She’s hard working, coachable, and willing to sacrifice some teenage free time. She’s not loud and boisterous. She keeps a lot of “it” quiet, which makes it more interesting to think about how much she can accomplish.”  

“I think there has been enough people in her life that have gotten to some of the highest levels in this sport, she sees it as not only doable, but the competitive nature in her wants to prove she can do that and more,” said Dawson.” 

“Her dad, Dan, was a competitive athlete at CMU, and her mother (Suzy) is a hard-working no-nonsense educator. She has older siblings who were very athletic and academically successful. The elements were all in place. Then add those intangible events and people in her life that we call luck, destiny, or divine intervention to put her on this path, which gave her incredible momentum moving forward.”