STARKVILLE — Starkville High graduate Sterling Scott knew that his triple jump performance at the 2023 United States Track and Field U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, wasn’t his best.
Facing off against some of the best college jumpers in the country, the future Missouri Tiger, even on an off day, placed third with a jump of 49 feet, 8.75 inches.
That jump on July 7 qualified him for a place on Team USA in the U20 Pan Am World Championships in Puerto Rico in early August.
“I was happy that my season wasn’t over yet,” Scott said. “I had another chance. I feel like there’s still much more that I want to do. I didn’t want to go out on that bad taste in my mouth. It will feel really good representing my country and going out with a bang.”
A week before earning his place to represent his country, his high school accomplishments would be nationally honored as he was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track and Field Player of the Year, becoming the first in SHS history to do so.
“I was honored to win such a prestigious award,” Scott said. “It’s not something that you just wake up and get every single day.”
Holding the Mississippi high school indoor and outdoor triple jump record, as well as three state titles, Scott’s track and field career has been prolific.
Within the halls of SHS, he’s one of the greatest Jacket athletes ever, and he has the accolades to back it up.
“I was really excited because this was the first time a male athlete from Starkville ever won it,” Starkville track and field coach Tory Reeves said. “We were confident. I felt pretty good about it, but there are some really good athletes in Mississippi. … It was a lot of great news all in one week.”
The Gatorade Player of the Year award further acknowledged Scott’s achievements, not just on the track and in the pit, but in the classroom as he was a scholar athlete.
“It’s definitely about the accolades that you have on the track, but it’s also about academics and volunteerism and other things he does that makes him such a great young man,” Reeves said. “He was a well-deserved recipient of the award.”
His senior season continues on in less than a month’s time as his journey in the international circuit is just beginning.
It’s making him all the more excited to finish it on a high note before starting what he hopes to be a successful college career.
“It’s icing on the cake for the first part of my career before I begin my second major part,” Scott said. “It feels really good having it ending as such.”
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