Senior Emily Campbell has remained the one constant in the Lady Bucs cross country and track and field programs over the past four years.
Throughout the four years of Campbell’s career, there have been three coaching changes and new team members each year.
“It was different last year, but winning the conference was good,” Campbell said. “This year we have a lot bigger team and there’s more unity.”
Campbell began her career at ETSU after graduating from Science Hill High School in 1997 and quickly became one of the best runners in the conference.
As a freshman, Campbell was an All-Southern Conference runner when she finished eighth at the Women’s Southern Conference Cross Country Championships, but then suffered from injuries her sophomore and junior years that kept her from running to her potential at the conference championships.
Those sophomore and junior seasons, however, would have been great by some standards as Campbell finished 11th and 14th respectively at the conference championships and was a key member of the Lady Bucs squad that won the team title in 1999; a team on which Campbell was the lone American.
Campbell finally regained her All-Conference status as she finished eighth in the conference championships her senior year and said it was a career that came full circle.
“I ran more competitively. I put myself more in the race and had a better year overall,” she said. “I ran in the low 19s (minutes) and upper 18s (for 5,000 meters), whereas in the past I’d have some races in the upper 19s.”
“I was just glad to run here,” she said. “I liked running under Coach (David) Walker and Coach (Milan) Donley. It was a good overall experience.”
Throughout Campbell’s four-year career at ETSU, she was involved in numerous races each year, but there remain several that stick out.
“The district meet, being my last race, it was longer, (6,000 meters instead of the usual 5,000) not like the other,” she said. “It happened really fast.”
In that race, Campbell placed 25th and earned All-District Honors for NCAA District IX with her time of 21.50 over the 6,000-meter course at the University of Alabama.
“It was an impressive honor for her,” said Matt High, ETSU cross country/track and field coach. “Not many women have earned All-District honors at ETSU in recent years.”
Campbell, who plans to graduate in May 2001 with a degree in dietetics, will be looking for an internship to meet her degree requirements, and although she has not decided where yet, definitely knows she wants to stay in the mountain region.
“That’s what I’ll do this Christmas, figure out where I want to go,” she said. “I’ve looked at ETSU, Virginia Tech, but I want to stay close to this area.”
Besides the numerous honors Campbell has received throughout her career, she has received equal accolades for her academic achievements.
Campbell is a member of the Student Dietetics Association, in which she is the president and she is a member of KON, the Honor Society for Applied Human Sciences, in which she has served as treasurer for the last two years.
Campbell is also a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and Gamma Beta Phi and is the women’s cross country representative for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
With all that Campbell is involved in, she still finds time to work part-time at Jane’s Lunchbox and spend time with friends.
“I usually work Thursdays and Fridays when I don’t have a meet,” she said. “I really enjoy it, and when I’m not working I enjoy hanging out with people there.”
Throughout Campbell’s career at ETSU, little has gone unaccomplished inside the classroom or out running cross-country and track for the Lady Bucs, and she is now ready to move on.
“I enjoyed being here. I’m glad I chose here,” she said. “I enjoyed the track program. It was good for me since I didn’t want to go far away from home, and I met a
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