Big Ten recruit smashes records, goes the extra mile

LOWELLVILLE, Ohio (WKBN) – At Lowellville High School, records are becoming synonymous with senior track star Sophia Yon.

“I’m really just excited that all the time I’ve spent working towards this has actually paid off, and I met my goals and I’m meeting my goals,” Yon said. “So I’m proud of myself and also very thankful that everything has gone the way it has.”

The Purdue University track signee holds three on the track for the Rockets in the 800, 1600 and 3200, along with the Mahoning County records in the first two. Not to mention she’s a 16-time state qualifier in between indoor/outdoor track and cross country, along with three state podium finishes.

“Looking at the boards, whenever we’d come down and looking at those times and think like, ‘Wow, I wish’ like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool. I wish I could do that,” Yon said. “I want to be that for a little girl one day looking at that record board and like, I could do that and give her a drive of passion to go get it.”

When she’s not on the track, Yon is still running all around town.

“July you start, and I have like 12 hours a day because I go from band in the morning for four hours and straight to golf, and then I have to get a run in so I’ll run there, run back and then cheer practice and all that kind of stuff so I’m always very busy,” Yon said.

Especially when you add band, golf and cheer, several different clubs and volunteering with eight different local organizations.

“It gets even busier when school starts up, so it’s really just all about time management, and you have to learn how to prioritize so academics always comes first, obviously,” Yon said.

And it showed throughout her academic career, landing on the high honor roll every single year since first grade. Now, she will graduate as valedictorian, the president of the Student Council, National Honor Society and the Band with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

“I think it’s most important to be passionate in every aspect of your life and be involved,” Yon said. “Because that’s in the end who you are. Because a time in a sport or like a record or a time doesn’t define you, your character does.”

She will continue to inspire those when running at the Division I level for the Boilermakers while studying engineering. Lowellville senior Sophia Yon is our Student Athlete of the Week.

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