Emma McGuinn '22 Recruiting Profile

Hi! My name is Emma McGuinn and I am a student and athlete and the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur. I have been enrolled at this school since sixth grade, and it has provided me with so many opportunities, one of them being hurdles. Going into freshman year of high school I joined the indoor and outdoor track team. I primarily joined because I Irish dance, and I knew running would help me keep my stamina up for those competitions. However, during the spring track season of 2019, I was introduced to hurdles. I was very nervous when I tried them but I quickly fell in love with them. I was also a natural because of all the time I had spent dancing. All the leaps and jumps I had practiced for hours on end at my Irish dance studio helped me learn how to hurdle fast and efficiently. That 2019 outdoor season was one of the best I have ever felt. I love winning, improving, and beating personal records. I want to continue to hurdle in college and keep improving. My personal goal then was to lower my 300m hurdle time from 49.0 seconds to 47, which I have recently accomplished in the 2021 outdoor season. In the 2021 outdoor season, I saw huge improvements in my times. My 300H and 100H times both dropped, and I was able to three-step for the 100H; something I had been working on for years. Furthermore, I make a good candidate for track teams because I try to go beyond what is expected of me. If the workout calls for 8 200s, I'll do 10. I want to be better and I want to improve myself as well as encourage others to do the same, which makes me a great candidate for your team. Lastly, I am different from other recruits because I do not only challenge myself on the track, but also at school. If I do not meet my standards, I work even harder. I maintain good grades and I have been on the Distinguished Honor Roll since I enrolled at Notre Dame, and recently was inducted into the National Honors Society. Moreover, I love working and helping other people. I want to encourage my teammates to do better just as I do to myself. Though track is often an individual sport, you still need to be a team player and do the best you can for yourself and your teammates.