Sports
One More Hurdle to Clear: Simley’s Emma Russ Set For State
Simley junior Emma Russ will compete in the 300-meter hurdles at the state track and field meet Friday morning at Hamline University in St. Paul
When Emma Russ was a freshman on the Simley girls’ varsity track and field team she was competing in a 100-meter hurdle event and tripped over the hurdle, suffering an injury that kept her out most of that season.
But it didn't scare her, said Simley coach Thomas Fisher. She came back the next season and kept working hard. And now that hard work has paid off.
Friday morning, Russ, now a junior, will compete in the 300-meter hurdles at the 2011 Minnesota High School Track and Field State Championships at Hamline University in St. Paul. Russ qualified by finishing second in the Section 3AA meet. A total of 16 athletes—the top two from eight sections from throughout the state, qualified in the event. Russ will run in the prelims at 11:30am. The top eight times from the two preliminary heats will advance to the finals, where the favorite is Richfield sophomore Jessica January, the defending state 300-meter hurdle champion. However Mariah Witt, a junior from Hopkins, enters the state meet with the best qualifying time in the 300 hurdles at 44.56.
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Despite the injury earlier in her career, Fisher said Russ' commitment and dedication are the reasons she is now a state qualifier. And when she ran a time of 46.07 into a headwind at the Richfield invite earlier this season, Fisher knew she had the ability to qualify for state this year.
"She's the type of athlete that a coach always wishes he had," says Fisher. "She's a hard worker who leads by example and if she doesn't do well she looks forward to the next opportunity to get back out and compete. She doesn't get down."
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Russ won’t be awed by the competition either. Richfield’s January competes in the same conference as Russ, and she knows what it’s like to go up against the best of the best. Russ was leading in the 300-meters at the 2011 Classic Suburban Conference race but tripped over the last hurdle, said Fisher.
Since qualifying on June 4, Russ has been fine-tuning her form and technique, doing some speed work and most importantly, staying healthy and ready to go.
"She's going to go out there prepared and ready to give it her best shot," said Fisher.
