JSerra Catholic High School Junior Sydney Willson, daughter of legendary four-time Olympic Gold medalist Janet Evans, announced her verbal commitment to Princeton University for the Fall of 2025. Originally from Laguna Beach, Calif., Sydney is set to join the Tigers' Class of 2029.

Expressing her gratitude for this privilege, Sydney said, “I am very humbled and blessed to announce my verbal commitment to the application process at Princeton University to further my athletic and academic careers! I’d like to thank God, my friends, my teammates, and my family for continuously supporting me and my goals. I’d also like to thank my Coach, Mark Schubert, for helping me get to this point. Finally, I am very grateful to Coach Abby, Coach Juan, and all of the amazing people at Princeton for this incredible opportunity!! GO TIGERS!”

Sydney, a dedicated distance freestyler, has been training under the guidance of her mother’s former coach, Mark Schubert. She secured the 16th position in the 800m freestyle at Junior Nationals last summer and clinched victory in the mile at Carlsbad Sectionals in March. She earned the 16th spot in the mile at Juniors West last winter.

Her impressive best times include:

• 200 free – 1:49.56
• 500 free – 4:50.27
• 1650 free – 16:37.04

Sydney showcased her talent by finishing 11th in the 500 free at the 2023 CIF State Championships during her sophomore year, following a commendable sixth-place finish in her freshman season.

Notably, her outstanding achievements have positioned her with times fast enough to secure a spot in the B-final of the 200/500 free at the 2023 Ivy League Championships, as well as a top-8 finish in the mile.