Former Neumann Goretti star Sydni Townsend back on the track at the Penn Relays

Sydni Townsend has, more or less, always been in a hurry.

Even before she drew her first breath, the former Neumann Goretti track standout has been rushing.

On Thursday at the Penn Relays, where she has had so many successful high school performances, Townsend, who now runs for the University of Houston, finished fourth in the women’s 400-meter hurdles championship.

That’s not too shabby for a woman just returning to competitive track after a nearly 18-month hiatus.

”She’s knocking the dust off,” said her father, Lincoln Townsend, sitting high above the track on a chilly, blustery day at Franklin Field.

”It feels amazing,” said Townsend’s mother, Joanette. “We’re very proud of her.”

Townsend finished in 57.35 seconds, narrowly behind the first-place finisher, Howard’s Jessica Wright, who finished in 56.58 seconds.

”I feel like I’m getting my rhythm back,” Townsend said postrace.

Townsend was a standout at Pitt during her freshman and sophomore years, earning ACC freshman of the year in 2019. She sought a fresh start, however, and transferred to North Carolina A&T, where her older brother, Todd, also ran track (though he had already graduated).

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Townsend qualified for an NCAA East preliminary in the 400-meter hurdles in 2021 at North Carolina A&T excelled in the classroom, graduating cum laude with a degree in criminal justice in December 2022. She’d, taken a step back from competition, however, to tend to her mental health.

After graduation, Townsend returned home and worked as a hostess, a camp counselor, and as a receptionist while still feeling an urge to compete.

”I wanted to come back because I felt like I had unfinished business,” Townsend said. ”I think it shows that I’m determined and passionate and it would take a lot for me to turn my back on something.”

These days, perhaps her biggest hurdle is being patient with herself.

That’s no small feat for a woman who persistently tried to be born premature. Doctors actually had to ensure that her mother wouldn’t go into labor too soon.

When it finally came time to welcome her to the world, Joanette explained, doctors scheduled a C-section for a Monday.

Sydni Townsend, however, decided to come that Friday instead. In fact, she came so fast that Joanette wasn’t able to get the epidural she and doctors had planned.

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Now, the speedster is learning to cool her jets.

”It’s been difficult,” said Townsend, who also will compete in Friday’s 400-meters. ”At the end of the day I tell myself that ‘you’re doing everything right, your coach is doing everything right, so everything is put together for you to succeed,’ she said. “You just have to have the patience. There’s no other choice, except giving up and like I said, I’m not one to turn my back and give up on something.”