Emily Schoenfeld has come a long way in four years at Emporia State, literally and figuratively.

As a senior member of the cross country and track and field teams, Schoenfeld has put in countless hours of hard work towards her sports. With so much training and lots of distance running, a positive mindset is crucial.

“I remember thinking, if I want to be good, then I need to have a good attitude about training,” said Schoenfeld.

Schoenfeld began running competitively in the 7th grade, but says she enjoyed running from a young age.

“I’ve always loved running. In elementary school, I was always that weird kid that liked the mile,” said Schoenfeld.

Continuing to run throughout her high school career at Topeka High School, Schoenfeld was a two-time state qualifier.

“I then reached out to (Eric) Wellman about running cross country here at ESU. I was looking at a few others schools. I remember he called me when I had told him I made a different decision, and he convinced me to come here,” said Schoenfeld.

It was a phone call Coach Wellman is glad he made as Schoenfeld has since become a key part of the ESU cross country team and a leader among her teammates.

“She has progressed really well, it’s almost unbelievable, I think, how much she’s improved every year,” said Wellman. “It’s become really exciting and fun to coach her because you know she’s going to improve and exceed          expectations.”

Now a collegiate runner, Schoenfeld focuses her endurance on various cross country courses, usually 5k or 6k. In track and field, she competes in the 3k and 5k steeple run, which are seven-and-a-half and twelve-and-a-half laps,      respectively.

It’s not only a great attitude that allows her to excel in those lengthy races. Schoenfeld attributes one other important factor to her success: passion.

“I think in the most raw form, I just love running,” said Schoenfeld. “Whatever event you do whether it’s jumping or sprinting or whatever, it has to be something you do because you simply enjoy it.”

Schoenfeld exemplifies that enjoyment and self-pride among her fellow runners, something they believe has carried them as a team.

“One thing she always tells the team is to focus on yourself, and give the best performance that you as an individual can give,” said sophomore Bailee Wilson. “She always had us focus on beating our own times rather than comparing ourselves to the competition.”

Schoenfeld is coming off an 11th place finish at the MIAA Conference Cross Country meet, with a time of 22:19.44. Her finish earned her All-MIAA honors for the third straight year and was good for another personal record.

“Each year, when I keep getting a little bit better, I think ‘Is this my limit? Is this it?’ Is this all I can do?’ I question it all the time, but in the back of my mind I remember that persistence is key,” said Schoenfeld.

If there’s one person who has seen first hand how high Schoenfeld sets her goals, it’s her coach.

“The first couple of years, she’s set a goal that would seem pretty reasonable and then would just blow it out of the water. The last couple of years she’s really set her goals a lot higher,” said Wellman. “To someone who didn’t know her, they might think these goals are just outrageous. They might think ‘no one’s going to improve by 30 seconds in a race in one year’ but she’s done it, she’s done it multiple times. It’s no longer a question of if she’s going to do it, it’s by how much?”