DeKalb father Antonio Watson is remembering his 21-year-old daughter, Sariyah Watson, for her love of family, God, track and field and the dedication she had as an athlete and mentor.

Watson and other loved ones are mourning this week after the DeKalb High School 2023 graduate was killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 88 near Aurora Sunday. She and friend Heaven Williams, 21, who also was killed, were driving on Mother’s Day when another vehicle going the wrong way on the interstate crashed into theirs, police said.

All three people were pronounced dead on the scene.

“She was just beginning to find her ‘adult wings’ and realize her full potential when her journey was tragically cut short,” Watson said in a tribute he wrote for Shaw Local. “Though her time was far too brief, the impact she made as a daughter, a sister, an athlete, a mentor, and someone who cherished family remains.”

In the days since, the DeKalb community has seen an outpouring of support for both young women. Williams was studying to become a nurse, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser created to support her family in the days ahead. Watson’s “finish line came too soon,” loved ones wrote in a different GoFundMe.

Sariyah was born on Dec. 13, 2004, at Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb, to dad Antonio Watson and mom Surray Williams.

She was a junior sprinter at the University of Illinois-Chicago on an athletic scholarship. She had a promising career and bright future ahead, said her dad, a DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy.

As an athlete himself, he said he noticed his daughter’s potential right away: “She wasn’t just active, she was exceptionally fast,” he wrote.

So he enrolled her in the DeKalb Husky Track Club for area youth.

Watson said he often reminded Sariyah during challenging moments, “You have a special gift that will take you somewhere one day.”

“Sariyah was a lively and energetic presence from the very start,” Watson wrote. “Even as a toddler, her vibrance was unmistakable.

Antonio shared the rest of his daughter’s story with Shaw Local.

Editor’s note: The following was written by Antonio Watson, for his daughter Sariyah.

A legacy of speed and spirit – The story of Sariyah Watson

The early years: A spark in DeKalb

Sariyah Watson was a lively and energetic presence from the very start. Even as a toddler, her vibrance was unmistakable.

​Early on, her family discovered her resilience.

After a frightening incident where her face swelled while her mother was cooking, doctors determined Sariyah had severe allergies to fish and peanuts. Despite these early hurdles, she remained a loving and spirited child, traveling often to spend time with family in Chicago, Kankakee, Mississippi, Memphis and Seattle.

​Discovering the gift

​By the age of 5, Sariyah’s natural athleticism became impossible to ignore. Whether she was sprinting through the hallways of the home or outrunning every other child at the park, she possessed a rare kind of explosive speed.

She was enrolled in the DeKalb Husky Track Club.

It was her first taste of organized sports and the beginning of a powerful bond between father and daughter. Every week, after school and work, father and daughter would head to the YMCA to train. Throughout her childhood, Sariyah embraced the grind of the gym, building the strength and stamina that would soon make her a force to be reckoned with.

​The rise of a champion

​By middle school, the hours of training paid off. Sariyah transitioned from a promising kid to a bona fide track star, winning back-to-back 400m State Titles. Track and field became her identity and her outlet; through the sport, she built lifelong friendships and a community of peers who shared her drive.

​As she entered high school, the stakes grew higher. Like any teenager, Sariyah occasionally clashed with the strict discipline required for elite performance. There were “back-and-forth” moments regarding her diet – the typical teenage desire for ice cream and soda vs. the disciplined nutrition of an athlete.

While they found a balance with the occasional “cheat day,” Sariyah’s commitment to her craft remained her priority.

​Maturity and ambition

​Sariyah’s high school years were defined by hard work, both on and off the track. She competed for DeKalb High School and spent her summers running nationally with the Aurora Flyers Track Club, traveling the country to face the best competition in the land.

​Beyond athletics, Sariyah proved she wasn’t afraid of hard work. She held jobs as a teller for the Fox Valley Park District and worked part-time at TJ Maxx.

She was a well-loved figure in her community, adored by the faculty and students at DeKalb High alike. Her spiritual life was equally important, as she maintained deep roots with her church family at DeKalb COP.

​Spreading her wings

​The culmination of her hard work arrived when she signed a Division 1 scholarship with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). As a UIC Flame, Sariyah began her transition into adulthood, but she never forgot where she came from.

​She became a dedicated mentor to her younger sister, who followed in her footsteps onto the track. Sariyah would spend hours at the gym teaching her sister the nuances of form, technique and explosive starts.

Her passion for fitness extended to the community as well. She held both virtual and in-person fitness trainings for adults and traveled to Seattle during her summer breaks to work with her aunt’s at-risk youth program. It didn’t just stop when she came back home from Seattle; she would hit the ground running, continuing to work at TJ Maxx, Kohl’s and even DoorDashing for extra money. So, at an early age, she was learning to pay her way and hold her own.

​An eternal impact

​Sariyah Watson was a young woman who loved life, cherished relationships, and found joy in everything from a fast-paced workout, listening to music, a quiet movie night or a video game. She was just beginning to find her “adult wings” and realize her full potential when her journey was tragically cut short.

​Though her time was far too brief, the impact she made as a daughter, a sister, an athlete, a mentor, and someone who cherished family remains. Sariyah’s legacy is written in the lives of the people she coached, the records she set, her love for God and the profound love she left behind in the hearts of everyone who knew her.