Salute to Seniors: Emily Mason Greely HS

Name: Emily Mason

School: Greely High School

What was your most memorable race?

It would probably be XC States junior year when I PR’d by a minute at Twin Brook. This showed me that, if I really wanted to, I could run with some of the best in the state. I was seeded 35th and ended up 11th. I finished 2nd for my team behind Kirstin Sandreuter and I think that was the turning point in my running career. I was only 4 seconds from going to New England’s as an individual and, though I didn’t make it, this drove me to work harder towards running in the following seasons

Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?

Freshman year, my biggest competition was myself, honestly. I barely knew the Maine running
community, so I basically shot for personal bests every chance I got. Sophomore year it was Sam
Feenstra and my teammate Sophie Stickney. Junior year it was senior stars like Heather Evans,
Laura Broderick, and Madeline Roberts that I really looked up to. Fellow juniors like Waylon
Henggeler & Caroline Driscoll (come states) and Hannah Austin were with me through it all and
sophomores Anna Lastra and Lauren Brown (come states) pushed me as well. Senior year I was
challenged even more from my team with the addition of Kath Leggat-Barr and Izzy Evans
during XC and Iz during Indoor. They were phenomenal teammates, competitors, and friends.
Best of luck ladies in the years to come!

What was your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment in running will probably forever be Girls XC Class B State Champs
this past fall. We worked SO much as a team and everyone brought something special to the
table. Come states, we knew what was needed to be done. We went out there on a mission and
with some insanely talented competition from Yarmouth and Cape. It was anyone’s day going in,
but in the end we pulled it off. I’ll never forget when we found out and the insane night of
firetrucks and celebration to follow. The majority of the team will be back next year with the
addition of some fast freshman, so it’ll be exciting to hear how they all do!

If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high
school?

There isn’t anything I’d really want to change because I’m a firm believer that everything
happens for a reason, no matter how hard it is to think that way. I’m grateful for exactly the way
things turned out, even with the struggles along the way.

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

Definitely the biggest obstacles were mental. I feel defeated really easily, but don’t show it that
often so people don’t really know when I need support. I thought I had to face mental battles
alone, but once I started getting help from my family, coaches, and friends it made running that
much easier. I had some injuries when track seasons came around (somehow never really during
XC), but these taught me patience, taught me to enjoy being a supportive teammate, and gave me
A LOT of split-taking practice at the finish line. :)

What will you miss the most?

I’ll miss the team and my coaches. They’re really the best of the best. I’ll also miss the running
community in Maine. It’s nice to get to the starting line, especially in distance running, and be
able to wish everyone luck by their first names. ARC does a wonderful job of getting the Maine
distance community to be friends first and competitors second and I think that’s really important thank
you OJ!

What advice you would give to younger athletes?

Basically I’d say enjoy every team dinner, every team bonding outing, every shirt making party
just make the most of it! Enjoy the experience. Don’t get too caught up in trying to be “as
good as her/him” and just try to be as good as you can possibly be. Once you do that, the results
will follow. Believe in yourself and understand that if you put in the training and hard work, you
can do anything you want.

What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life
goals?

Dowling and Folan are like family and I couldn’t have wished for better coaches to get me
started and help me love running.

What are your college plans?

I will be majoring in nursing at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, PA this fall and will be
running XC, Indoor & Outdoor Track. I’m excited to try out the 3k, 5k, and steeple on the
track :)

Who would you like to say thank you to?

First, the coaches I’ve gotten to know at Greely High (Dowling, Folan, Ellen, Greg, Mark, Coach
Hunt, Coach O’Brien, Coach Sawyer, and Coach Lane). I’d also like to thank Bill Landis and
Caitlin Handcock, for coaching me when I was an ‘8 & Under’ during summer track and helping
to make such a wonderful running community in Cumberland/ No. Yarmouth. I’d also like to
thank my family for coming to practically all of my track meets since I was 5. Thanks to my
team for dealing with me for as long as you have. Lastly, thanks to Maine Milesplit for keeping
us all in the loop on everything running.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Keep running fast, Maine let’s put ourselves on the XC/TF map! Thanks for the memories :)

More Coverage

Do you know a class of 2015 track and field or cross country athlete? We'd like to salute them! Have them answer the following questions plus send 2-3 photos (can not be from another website or publication) to dveilleux@milesplit.us