Lundy signs to run track with the Bearcats

Catch her on the track if you can, but Nodaway Valley senior Emma Lundy signed last Wednesday a national letter of intent to compete in track and field next school year at Northwest Missouri State University.

The daughter of Dennis and Connie Lundy, who has had a decorated high school track career with her teammates to date, verbally committed with the Bearcats after she visited the Maryville campus last summer.

“It’s been building up since then,” Lundy said. “At state track on the bus, I told [Coach Brett Welsch] that if I am going to run in college, I want it to be at Northwest and that’s going to be my goal. He contacted [their coach] and got my visit set up. I knew that was the place I wanted to be.”

Lundy’s only other sport she’s devoted her entire prep career to is volleyball. An accomplished setter in that sport, Lundy said she has always loved track and knew that would be the sport she’d like to continue in after high school. Her favorite races are the 200-meter dash or any relays she can compete with her teammates in.

“It’s always been my best sport, I would say. It’s the time of year where I do my best. I get to compete with my teammates, work hard with them everyday. I’m surrounded by people who motivate me and want the same things I do,” Lundy said. “It’s just a very rewarding sport.”

Lundy began collecting hardware from the state track meet as a freshman, when she was a part of a fourth-place sprint medley quartet. She capped her sophomore season off with four state relays, including medals in the 4x200 (third) and 4x100 (eighth). In her junior season, Lundy had silver finishes as part of the Wolverines’ 4x100 and 4x200 teams, was on the fourth-place sprint medley and ran to a fourth-place finish in the 200.

In addition, Lundy was named All-State by the Des Moines Register, was KMA Radio’s Pride of Iowa Conference Girl Track Athlete of the Year.

Lundy owns school records in the 200 (25.81 seconds) as well as a part of the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays NV has excelled in.

“In track, you really do get out of it what you put into it. If you’re going to push yourself through every single workout, that’s what it’s going to take,” Lundy said.

The Wolverine senior’s goals are pretty simple:

“At the end of the day, I just want to get faster,” she said. “I’m excited to be around new people [in college] and new people to push me to do my best.”