SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Dustinthewind wrote:Nice article in the Athens Messenger!

Congrats to Emily and the Alexander Coaches!

Good luck in track this season!!!

Skidmore will continue running career as a Bobcat
By KEVIN WISEMAN
Messenger sports editor
Published: Saturday, February 21, 2009 8:15 PM EST
ALBANY — Fans of Emily Skidmore won’t have to travel very far to watch her compete in college.

Skidmore will run all the way to Ohio University, where she received an athletic scholarship to compete in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field.

“What I tell everyone is that it’s an offer I couldn’t really pass up,” Skidmore said. “The fact that I’m getting a free education, that’s the main decision. That was the deal breaker. I would say that I’ve always wanted to run in college, once I started running cross country,” she continued. “I found out how much I love to run. The fact that I could get paid to do it was definitely an incentive to run. I’ve always wanted to run in college and the decision to go to Division I was a little more difficult just because I kind of wanted to go to a smaller school but I just couldn’t really pass up the offer.”

The Alexander standout has had quite a career with the Spartans. She made the state tournament all four years she competed in cross country and has made the state track and field meet three times heading into her final season in the spring.

As a Bobcat, Skidmore will compete in cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track and field in the spring. She said competing in all three seasons was part of the deal, but that the extra running shouldn’t be a problem for her.

“Going D-I I’m excited to have the opportunity to do all three varsity sports,” she said. “I don’t mind running, I love it. So I don’t think doing it year round will be a problem.”

Skidmore will also have the opportunity to be teammates with a runner she’s been friendly rivals with in high school. Gallia Academy’s Lauren Adkins — one of Skidmore’s top competitors and friends — will also run with the Bobcats in the fall.

“Lauren and I are really good friends. We hang out all the time,” Skidmore said. “It’s awesome because our freshman year I specifically remember my (freshman cross country) coach (John) Hutch(inson), he was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be so funny if you and Lauren ran at the same college.’ I was like, ‘That will never happen. Lauren is so much better than me, that will never happen.’ At that point, I hadn’t really meant Lauren or knew her. She always beat me so I didn’t like her too much but that was because she always beat me. And now I definitely am running with a great friend and I’m really excited for the four years to come.”

The Ohio cross country and track and field head coach is Clay Calkins. His assistant is Mitch Bentley and both will enter their seventh season in the fall.

“When I went on my visit I meant the incoming freshman, the freshman class now and they all seemed extremely welcoming,” Skidmore said. “The coaching staff is awesome. I love the girls.”

As could be expected, Skidmore has high goals for her collegiate career. In the next four seasons she said she’d like to be an All-American and run her 5K races in under 18 minutes.

“Hopefully with the coaching and being at that higher competition level I’ll be able to get that status ‘cause that’s kind of the ultimate goal,” she said. “So I would definitely say being an All-American would be a goal and then as far as times I would love to be in the 17s somewhere. That seems so unattainable right now. But definitely in the 17:30s would be a great time for me, I would love that.”

Skidmore gave great credit to her coaches and teammates at Alexander for helping her get to where she’s at. Hutchinson and now Ashley Meadows have guided her cross country career while Denton Guthrie (basketball) and Randi Brooks (track and field) have also had an influence on her.

“They’ve been phenomenal coaches,” she said. “They’re not too easy on me but they definitely know how far to push me. I think I’m prepared to go into college and do those workouts and stuff. As far as my teammates, I’ve had complete support from all of them. Especially Hannah Schull. She’s my best friend and she’s always been there for me with running and I’m definitely going to miss her next year.

“Running at Alexander has been awesome, I’m ging to miss it. But it’s time to move on.”