By ANNA FASMAN
During her freshman year of high school, Emily Shearer had no idea that choosing to run cross country over playing water polo would be a decision that impacted her life so greatly. Having been a competitive swimmer up until that point, Shearer, a California native, thought that taking to the pool seemed like the obvious choice. But after some convincing by her best friend, she hit the cross country course and never looked back, choosing to run track that spring instead of competing on her high school’s swim team.
Shearer, a current senior, has been an integral part of both the cross country and track and field teams at Cornell. As a captain of both groups, she has made it her goal to lead by example and motivate her teammates based on their personal needs.
“Different people are motivated by different things. Some people run because they have that competitive edge and some because they love it. Some people are motivated to do well for the team and some people by doing well for themselves individually by breaking records,” she said. “Learning how to be flexible and adapting to other people’s styles is important.”
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR