Water Canyon High sees 1st student -athlete commit to college level competition

Written by Nick Yamashita
May 1, 2023

HILDALE — Water Canyon High School witnessed Wednesday afternoon the first official college athlete signing for the school.

“I’ve been a part of a lot of inaugural things here at Water Canyon, including the first football team, baseball team, esports team, indoor track meet and decathlon,” Water Canyon High School senior Jonny Timpson said. “This scholarship is just another part of me paving the way for student-athletes here.”

Timpson committed with a stroke of the pen to compete in track and field for Southern Wesleyan University.

Located in Central, South Carolina, SWU is a Division II private Christian school with over 2,400 students enrolled and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Timpson was recruited for his accomplishments in the long jump and high jump events.

Water Canyon High School witnessed its first official college athlete signing for Jonny Timpson in Hildale, Utah, April 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Water Canyon High School, St. George News

He also has competed in the following events (distances in meters): 100, 200, 400, 1,600, 110 hurdles, shot put, discus and javelin.

Timpson recorded his personal best for the long jump at the Snow Canyon Invitational on March 11. He officially jumped 19 feet, 1.5 inches. His personal record of 6-1 for the high jump was set at the Kanab Invitational on March 18.

Outside school, work, and track, he likes to play video games and hang out with friends.

He is the oldest boy out of nine kids and says he always likes to set an example for his siblings.

Timpson and his family say they are grateful for the opportunity to move on to higher-level education and athletics. Several members of the community and school attended to cheer him on and give congratulations.

“We at Water Canyon High School could not be more proud of Jonny as a student-athlete,” Principal Steve Showalter said. “He is everything that we want in a representative of this school and this community. He truly embodies what it means to be a Wildcat.”

Showalter said it was a special moment when Timpson came and asked if they could do a big signing event. Not only a special moment for celebrating Timpson but for what he said was the real purpose behind hosting the event.

Water Canyon High School witnessed its first official college athlete signing for Jonny Timpson in Hildale, Utah, April 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Water Canyon High School, St. George News

“Not for me, but to show others the possibilities and show them it’s possible for students from our community to do these things,” Timpson said to Showalter.

During the signing, Timpson, first and foremost, thanked God, because “without Him, none of this is possible.”

Then he thanked coaches for always pushing him and thanked family and friends for being by his side.

“We are so excited for him and can’t wait to see what his future holds at Southern Wesleyan,” Showalter added.

Timpson said he looks forward to his future in South Carolina and hopes to keep working towards great things like his two idols, JuVaughn Harrison and Mutaz Essa Barshim.

Harrison, an accomplished long jumper and high jumper, competed for the U.S. in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Barshim is a world champion high jumper and has the second-highest jump in history at 2.43 meters, which is just under 8 feet.

 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Yamashita has extensive experience reporting for small town media, covering a variety of subjects and events for The Virgin River Times and The Progress in Southern Nevada. Before a career in journalism, he worked a variety of jobs in criminal justice systems. Yamashita holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Southern Utah University. He is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has been published in scholarly articles and poetry compilations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches martial arts.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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