Spring Branch ISD Featured News

A Dynamic – and Athletic – Duo

April 23, 2025 2:15 PM

Two essential ingredients of athletic success—competence and mental toughness—are epitomized in twins Tyson and Sydney Marrs. These highly ranked athletes attend Memorial High School (MHS) in Spring Branch ISD (SBISD), where Tyson competes at top levels as a diver, and Sydney is on her way to the Regional Girls Golf Tournament this month.

Mental Fortitude

Tyson began his diving journey as a freshman at MHS. He put in hard work, dedication, and lots of practice to earn second place at the regional meet this year, thus qualifying to compete at the state diving championship in February.

"With our region's abundance of talented divers, advancing to the state meet is exceptionally difficult,” said George Kutac, SBISD diving coach and natatorium facilitator. “Qualifying hinges on a podium finish at the highly competitive regional finals, demanding not only physical skill but also unwavering mental fortitude."

At the state tournament, Tyson’s mental fortitude was on full display. Not only did he place sixth in diving, but he earned more than 400 points to be designated an All-American diver.

“To accurately rank divers, the final score considers both the execution and difficulty of their dives,” explained MHS diving coach and SBISD Natatorium Facilitator George Kutac. “The 11-dive competition, including five dives of maximum difficulty, tests a diver's technical skill and ability to perform complex routines."

Tyson said he is motivated to work hard and compete at the top of his sport in high school by observing other high-achieving competitors. “Top-level athletes in their sports inspired me to be the best at mine,” he said.

A life lesson Tyson has learned from his experiences as a diver is that “you have to learn from failure in order to get better.” This character trait of being Persistent & Adaptable is one of the six Core Characteristics of a T-2-4 Graduate, a set of attributes identified by the SBISD community for students to develop by graduation to ensure future success.

Tyson’s future success continues to develop. He puts in many hours of diving practice each week, even during the off-season. He is currently working on goals to achieve harder dives and place higher at the state-level competition next year when he is a senior.

“My long-term goals are to make it to NCAA championships in college and compete at the Olympic trials,” he said.

Positive Attitude

Twin sister Sydney is an accomplished athlete in a different sport: golf. She was first introduced to the game by her stepdad when she was in eighth grade. Practicing almost daily and playing in as many tournaments as she can fit into her schedule are key ingredients to her success in the sport.

She continues to be inspired and motivated to excel by her parents. “They always encouraged me to practice and supported me at my tournaments,” said Sydney. “My mom makes sure I have tee times when I need, and she schedules all my tournaments [outside of school competitions].”

MHS girls’ golf coach Paul Colquitt reiterates that tournament practice is essential to achieving high-level results in golf. “Everyone who succeeds in golf also plays in a LOT of tournaments on their own time,” he said. “Just practicing on a range or playing nine holes with friends does not cut it. You must be able to perform in stressful and tense moments. And then, of course, have mental toughness.”

Sydney’s mental and physical toughness were evident when she recently placed third in the Girls District 17-6A tournament with a score of 147 over a two-day tournament. This placement earned her the right to play at the regional competition later this month alongside her MHS teammate Arwen Settipalli, who placed second in the district tournament.

With high hopes of moving on to the state tournament, Sydney is staying focused and optimistic as she prepares for the next level of competition (and beyond). “I have learned that it is important to stay consistent even if I have a bad tournament because mental toughness is just as important as physical ability,” she said. “I learned that I need to have a positive outlook about the future, even if I didn’t do so great that day. One bad day or hole doesn't affect how I do on the next one.”

Regardless of her performance during this golf season, Sydney enjoys the challenges of playing different holes on different courses. “Most people think golf is boring, but I wish more people knew how fun it can be to play,” she said.

She encourages younger golfers to press on toward improving their skills and not to give up. “Even if you have a bad round, just playing the sport means you are getting better,” Sydney advises.

Already looking forward to next year, Sydney’s goals are to have consistently low scores, win some tournaments, and earn a top spot on the MHS girls’ golf team.

Happy Downtime

The twin siblings have also figured out that they each need different outlets to de-stress when not competing in their sports. For Sydney, she likes to express creativity by doing her friends’ and her own nails, as well as shopping for new clothes.

“Since my goals in diving take a lot of time and energy, outside of that, I like to relax and play games,” added Tyson.