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Snaer makes Team USA for World U20 track meet
ALUM Taylor Snaer
Taylor Snaer holds up two American flags, signifying her qualification in two events for the World Athletics U20 Championships. She placed second in the 100 and 200 in the United States Track & Field U20 Championships last week at Oregon’s Hayward Field. DEMITRIUS SNAER/Courtesy photo

For someone accustomed to moving at fast speeds, Taylor Snear won’t mind slowing down in the coming weeks.

She has been racking up the accolades in recent months, and there are big moments arriving in the near future.

The latest milestone: making Team USA for the World Athletics U20 Championships.

“It has all happened very quickly,” the 2023 East Union graduate said.

She did so by placing second in the women’s 100- and 200-meter dashes last week in the United States Track & Field U20 Championships held at the University of Oregon’s famed Hayward Field. The top two placers will get to represent the country on Aug. 27-31 in Lima, Peru.

“I still haven’t had the ability to process it all,” Snaer said. “We haven’t gone through all the details with everything that’s going into it. I came in hoping to win an event, but just making the team is a big accomplishment on its own. I’m still wrapping my head around it.”

Snaer won her preliminary heats in each race. In the finals, she was edged by Avery Lewis (11.51) in the 100 and Elise Cooper (23.02) in the 200, posting times of 11.54 and 23.09 seconds, respectively. She’ll also have the opportunity to compete on the 4x100 relay at the World U20.

Snaer is the reigning California Community Colleges Athletic Association state champion in both the 100 and 200, drawing interesting from the top NCAA track and field programs in the nation during her freshman year at Modesto Junior College.

She was not fazed by the competition at the USATF U20, which includes athletes representing four-year universities. While competing for MJC, she was able to enter meets that pitted her against established NCAA sprinters. Snaer is also no stranger to Hayward Field, having competed there two years ago in the Nike Outdoor Nationals.

“It was a great experience running there a couple years ago for the Nike Nationals, but this time it was on a bigger stage and bigger reward in the end,” Snaer said. “It was incredible. Just running there in general is a great experience, and now getting to run against some of the best athletes in the world in my age group is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for sure.”

Snear has another big event coming up between now and the World U20.

She’ll soon decide on where to continue competing collegiately. With three years of eligibility remaining, Snaer is deciding between LSU, Oregon and UCLA.

“It’s all happening very fast, and I haven’t had time to take everything in because of how fast the year is moving,” Snaer said. “Overall, it’s been a great experience, especially with the success the team (at MJC) had this year and having my dad (Demitrius Snaer) as my coach. The support system I have is incredible.”