Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Sheridan Donovan
Name: Sheridan Donovan
School: Ygnacio Valley High School
Grade: Junior
Sports: Cross Country, Track, Soccer
After playing youth soccer for most of her life, Donovan donned a Ygnacio Valley soccer uniform as a freshman. Since then, she has concentrated on her running as a member of the YVHS cross county team in the fall and track and field squad in the spring.
Besides competing in XC meets over two and three miles she’s tackled distances of 800, 1600 and 3200 meters on the track. Coach Mark Tran says of junior Sheridan, “She has made great strides this cross country season, improving her personal three-mile time by more than three minutes from the start of the season. She is disciplined, focused and self-motivated; works hard each day to make herself a better runner.
She is a joy to coach.” Donovan is team captain of this fall’s team and is on the North Coast Section President’s List. The Warriors have won NCS cross country scholastic team awards annually since 2018 (none awarded in 2020 due to COVID-19).
Sheridan is part of the school’s International Baccalaureate Program which she hopes leads her to college majoring in cognitive science or political science. With a cumulative GPA of 4.13 and first quarter this school year of 4.83, that seems like a reasonable goal.
The Pioneer congratulates Sheridan and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry.
Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublisers.com.
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.