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Brevin Sims stepped up to the blocks at the Tennessee State Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2016. It was the eighth-grader’s first year competing at the high school level, and he was competing against seniors. He finished the 300-meter hurdles final in last place.

After that, Sims never lost a state title race again.

In his first year at Syracuse, Sims, a nine-time Tennessee state champion, has already won All-ACC honors in this year’s abbreviated indoor season. He won the 60-meter hurdles at the Doc Hale Elite Meet in early February and continued his success by finishing sixth in the 60-meter hurdles at the ACC Championships on Feb. 27.

“He’s got a lot of clarity in terms of what he wants out of the sport, and I think that’s something that’s special as a freshman,” said SU hurdlers coach Dave Hegland. “When you’re motivated like that and driven like that, everything else will fall into place.”

Sims was drawn to hurdles when he was just 10 years old. He was new to the Chattanooga Jets, a youth club-running team in Tennessee, and would sneak off to try the hurdles when his coach wasn’t looking.

When he grew old enough to try the hurdles, he had the ability to jump them without having it explained, said Donelle Dunning, his coach with the Jets. Many other kids his age were afraid of the hurdles, but Sims was always eager to try and do better. If he knocked one over, he’d set it back up and try again.

“When he really realized this was something he could master, he just got really serious about it,” said his mother, Shaundra O’Neal.

Sims began progressing quickly, and several former state champions who also ran for the Jets mentored him. Sims competed in his first Junior Olympics in 2012. In his hurdles race, Sims tripped and fell on a hurdle, knocking himself out of the race. With tears in his eyes, Sims got up and was consoled by Dunning, who marks that point as a timestamp of when he decided to invest his time in Sims. And by Sims’ eighth grade year, he was one of the top-eight hurdlers in the country.

“I remember seeing him in middle school running, and thinking, ‘This kid is going places,’” said his high school coach, Christopher Hendrix. “You could tell he was special.”

In addition to his nine high school state titles, Sims holds two state records — the outdoor 110-meter high hurdles and the indoor 60-meter hurdles. In last year’s indoor season, his record-setting 60-meter hurdles time (7.76 seconds) was the fastest time by any high school athlete in 2020.

Sims wanted to challenge the high school national records his senior year, Dunning said. But on March 11, three days before he was scheduled to run at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, the competition was canceled because of COVID-19. The outdoor season was canceled, too, and Sims lost his last chance to win yet another state championship or set a record. In June, Sims was named the 2019-20 Tennessee Gatorade Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.

Seven months after COVID-19 ended his senior season, Sims began practicing with Syracuse’s track team. Sims was only able to run in three meets this season, though, limiting his chances to compete. Sims made the finals in the 60-meter hurdles in each meet and placed sixth at the ACC Championships in the 60-meter hurdle event.

With the indoor season wrapped up, Sims has turned his attention to the upcoming outdoor season this spring. In his initial outdoor practices, Sims surprised himself with his times.

“He may be a generational talent,” said Dunning. “I’m moving towards 50. I don’t know if I’ll have another Brevin.”

Published on March 9, 2021 at 1:09 am

Contact Connor: cpignate@syr.edu