“It was a long discovery for me to realize what my priorities were in terms of running. I never strove for being the best or running a fast time, it was all about having fun. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that running fast would be fun.”

Emily stepped foot on the campus of SUNY Geneseo hoping to blend in. She wanted to be a part of a big team where the spotlight wouldn’t be shining on her. She wanted to enjoy her days as a college student while being on the team. That all changed when the pandemic hit. After she went back home, her priorities began to shift toward becoming a better runner. As her dad said, “You’re always one summer away from being a completely different athlete.”

Emily took her dad’s quote into practice and came into this year as a changed runner. She went from just wanting to make sure she was having fun each run to believing that she could make the NCAA Championships. As the season went on, she kept chopping off time and that was fun. Eventually, she got to the point where she and her coach, Dan Moore, came up with a race plan to break the Division III 1500m record. While she had aspirations of doing well in the NCAA Championships’ 1500/800 double, the plan called for a strike on the record in the prelim. As she got out hard, she knew the plan was working as each split was exactly what her coach planned out.

4:13.69 – a new D3 National Record. A time she couldn’t have dreamed of heading into this year. On top of the D3 Record, Emily walks away with the No. 4 All-Time performance in the 800m.

Emily hopes to lower her time again at this weekend’s Music City Track Carnival.As always, we really appreciate your support of this podcast. If you’d like to help spread the word, share the podcast with a friend, or leave us a review wherever you’re listening. Follow along with us on social media – we’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Strava. If you’re inclined to support the show financially, leave us a tip on Venmo or check out the Merch Store.

SHOW NOTES AND QUOTES

On her decision to do the 1500/800 Doubles

“To me, it’s not about winning, it’s more about what you love to do and what you’ll have fun doing. And I didn’t think the 5k would be any fun!”

On why running 4:13 was bigger to her than the title

On her sudden rise to stardom:

On what was the difference for her this year:

On racing during the pandemic:

On her lasting lesson from this year: