Emmett McMahon '18 Recruiting Profile

Running is more than what I do - it is who I am.  During sixth grade, I got inspired to try distance running, and I have been running ever since.  In seventh grade, I was running on my own before school every morning and convinced my parents to join a running club called Oak Hill Racing.  Our team made it to the nationals in the junior olympic cross country championships and that encouraged me to keep running in high school.  During my Sophomore year, my PR for the 5k was 16:32, and my 3200m time was 10:05.  I was frustrated in my Junior year due to injuries that I sustained while I experienced a growth spurt.  Hip and achilles pain kept me from competing at my best most of the season.  This year, after reworking my warm-up routine and building my body back up with physical therapy workouts, I felt like I was getting back to my normal running stride.  My PR this season was 16:43 for the 5k though I had done better in practice a few times.  Unfortunately, this meant that my senior year of cross country was not quite what I had hoped, although we did make it as a team to the state meet this year.  My goal for the 10k in college cross country is 33 minutes, which I feel  is very attainable for me.  I often feel that I do better at longer distances.  For example, in 2016, I finished my first half marathon with a time of 1:22:16 (Shamrock’n Half) and have been competing in trail running during the summers.  This spring I plan to break 10 minutes in the 3200m as well lower my 1600m PR of 4:46.   I am dedicated to running as a sport and know that I make a positive impact on any team I join.  

Along with running competitively for many years, I take school very seriously.  I have had to learn to manage my time effectively to meet the challenges of participating in a rigorous Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP), that requires additional academic challenges to the AP courses that I take.  I plan on studying biology and kinesiology in college with the goal of becoming a physical therapist in the future.