Balancing school and extracurricular activities can be difficult, especially as an athlete. Second-year illustration student and track athlete Emily Kearney has proved it possible to do both.
From Liverpool, England, Kearney moved to Atlanta to attend SCAD after cross country coach Michael Caldwell reached out to her. Caldwell said, “Emily has been such a joy to coach. She will do exactly what you ask her to do and gives her best every time out. She is the consummate teammate always striving to make herself and her teammates better. She is already the greatest runner to ever run at SCAD and she is only a sophomore, but her true talent is her competitiveness, commitment to improving and her ability to work hard.”
Being a student athlete requires a lot of dedication and practice. Along with the seven hours of weekly practice, track athletes are expected to dedicate an hour to steady running and conditioning once or twice a week. “You have to do more work than you’re told,” Kearney says, “Coach asks for the minimum, you add in the extra work — especially if you want to improve.” Kearney advises aspiring student athletes not to pull all-nighters and to stay up-to-date with all of your assignments. Kearney describes the “rival” track teams as “tight-knit and not very competitive.” One of the things she enjoys most about running is how supportive everyone is during a meet.
At only 22 years old, Kearney has received multiple awards, including the “South Region Runner of the Year” in 2017. Kearney ran for the Wirral AC running club in Liverpool throughout secondary school. Since moving to Atlanta, she has traveled all over the United States. Her favorite place she’s visited is Johnson, Tenn. Kearney is interested in pursuing a master’s degree and would love to continue running post-graduation. She aspires to run a marathon one day.
If you want to keep up with the track team or cheer them on, you can check out the athletics website here.
