Sisson could set records at state track meet
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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
Making quick work of a 1,600- or 3,200-meter run on the track this spring has been no problem for Emily Sisson.
Making her way through the neighborhoods surrounding Millard North High School on a road workout has been an adventure for the standout sophomore.
“She’d get ahead of everyone and sometimes get lost,’’ Millard North coach Mindy Reed said. “We’d be back at school waiting for her, wondering where she was. She’d be like, ‘this took me a little longer than I thought it would.’ Early in the season, we’d joke around before practice and ask her if she knew where she was going.’’
Sisson laughs about those lost-in-the-neighborhood incidents. “I’m not that great with directions,” said Sisson, who ran for Omaha Marian as a freshman before transferring to Millard North. “But I always managed to find my way back to school.”
Odds are, however, she’ll find the awards stand just fine this weekend at the state track meet, which begins today at Omaha Burke Stadium. The suspense isn’t if she’ll win the 1,600 and 3,200, but whether she can break state records in those events.
The 10:21.71 she ran at the Arcadia, Calif., National Invitation meet on April 12 is second on the state’s 3,200 all-time charts behind the 10:19.0, which Karlene Erickson of Wheeler Central ran in 1982. Sisson’s time is fifth on the 2008 national high school charts.
Then Sisson broke the Kansas Relays record held by former Lincoln Pius X star Elizabeth Lange in the 1,600, finishing in 4:51.42. That time, however, fell short of the state record 4:49.2 Lange ran as a junior in 2003.
The 5-foot-2 Sisson holds a big 46-second advantage over Nebraska’s second best time in the 3,200 this season. The margin is 22 seconds in the 1,600.
Sisson’s family is moving to Lee’s Summit, Mo., so this weekend will be her final chance to move to the top of the all-time state charts. Sisson, however, isn’t putting pressure on herself to eclipse those marks.
“I just want to run well and score points for the team,” said Sisson, whose Mustangs are considered the favorite to win the Class A team title. “If it’s nice weather, I’ll try to run a fast time. Otherwise, I’ll try to stay consistent on my splits and not take any chances.’’
The only high school race Sisson hasn’t won was the 800 at state last year when she finished second behind Lincoln North Star’s Ashley Schnell. Sisson has lowered her time this spring in that event as well. Her 2:14.26 is eighth on the state’s all-time charts and leads Class A by more than five seconds.
Not bad for someone who’s still relatively new to running. While her father, Mark, ran collegiately at Wisconsin, Emily didn’t become involved in track until the spring of her seventh-grade year. Up to that point, she’d considered herself a soccer player.
“A friend of mine on my soccer team wanted me to run on a relay (3,200) with them at a (track) meet,” Sisson recalled.
Remarkably, her 800 split time was a 2:27, and Sisson has been hooked ever since.
“At the meet, I really liked it, so I started running with the Cornhusker Flyers (club program) that summer,” Sisson said. “Things I like I get very passionate about, and running is one of them.’’
A year later as an eighth-grader, she won the college women’s 3,000 race at the KU Relays, just adding to the anticipation to what she could do in high school. As a freshman at Marian, she won the all-class Gold at the state cross country meet in the fall, then took the all-class Gold in the 1,600 and 3,200 last spring in track.
“The first time I saw her run was at Metros (Metro Conference meet) last year when she was at Marian,” Reed said. “It’s such a joy to watch a kid of her caliber run, regardless of what uniform they wear.’’
By fall, she was in a Mustang uniform. Sisson was a repeat champion in cross country and broke her own state-meet course record.
But it wasn’t an injury-free ride. Sisson started feeling pain in her lower leg, and began compensating for it when she ran. That change in her stride resulted in alignment issues with her hips.
During the offseason, Sisson worked with Hruska Clinic in Lincoln, who focused on getting her running mechanics straightened out. That’s allowed her to build up a training base of 30 to 35 miles per week and improve both her speed in the shorter races and her strength in the longer ones.
“My body mechanics were all messed up,’’ Sisson said. “I do exercises every night now to make sure my stride stays right.’’
Reed already had a good track team without Sisson, so she was a little concerned about jealousy on the squad when she transferred from Marian. The coach says it was never an issue.
“Not with her personality, her work ethic and how she interacts with her teammates,” Reed said. “I think the kids see the sacrifices someone like Emily Sisson make to be where they are. And she has a passion for the whole team. At districts, Emily couldn’t finish the 1,600 fast enough so she could turn around and cheer her teammates on.’’
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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