SISSON EYES USA JUNIOR CROSS COUNTRY TITLE
By Chris Lotsbom
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission
Entering
tomorrow's USA Cross Country Championships in Spokane, Wash.,
Chesterfield, Missouri's Emily Sisson is ready to continue upon what
has already been a successful senior year of high school. The 18
year-old is looking to finish in the top six in the junior women's
race, which would earn her a trip to Bydgoszcz, Poland, where the IAAF
World Cross Country Championships will be held on March 28.
"I
feel very excited heading into Saturday's meet," Sisson wrote in an
e-mail message to Race Results Weekly from Spokane. "I know there are
a ton of very talented girls here, though, so I am definitely a bit
nervous as well."
In her senior season at Parkway Central High
School, Sisson qualified for the Foot Locker National Cross Country
Championships for the fourth year in a row, where she finished the
5000m course in third place, with a time of 17:19. That was her best
finish at Foot Locker since her freshman year, where she also came in
third.
"I was very happy with Foot Lockers," she continued.
"Coming back after two somewhat disappointing years, I really just
wanted to finish strong. I was also just extremely happy and thankful
for being able to experience the event for the fourth time. I am
definitely going to miss it next year."
More recently, Sisson
has shown that she is still in top shape, as she raced the 3000m at the
Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Ks., in a new personal best of 9:25.7 just
two weeks ago (her time also broke the Anschutz Pavilion facility
record). This record only adds to her already noteworthy high school
career, one in which she has competed internationally for the U.S. at
the Junior Pan-American Games (2007), and has won the Nike Outdoor
Nationals 5000m (2009).
Earlier this month, Sisson committed to
attend the University of Wisconsin, where she will continue to run and
plans to study business. Originally from Wisconsin, Sisson said she
knew she would attend the University there as soon as she visited the
school.
"I just knew on my visit that Wisconsin was the place
for me, because I loved the girls, it has a great business school, and
the campus is amazing! Coach (Jim) Stintzi is also very knowledgeable
and I look forward to improving as a runner under him."
But,
right now her focus is on the Cross Country National Championships.
She has already seen the Plantes Ferry Recreation Park course, where
the meet will take place. The junior 6 km race will be contested on
one 2000m loop, which competitors will run three times.
"It is not hilly and the footing is pretty good," Sisson concluded.