A new PR, a spot on the meet's recent top 5 list, and an all-time best finish of 2nd place: yeah, Friday was good for the Cary Academy senior.
Among all the great performances from Friday's NCISAA State Meet, it would be easy to overlook a certain second-place finisher. That would be a mistake, because Emma Astrike-Davis' time of 18:35 was the second-fastest of the day and the fifth-fastest time at that meet since 2005. She definitely has a thing about Hagan Stone Park, where her only two times under 18 minutes have occurred. This is the third time that I've interviewed Emma, although you'll only find this and one other on NCRunners (due to reasons explained in the video). I've enjoyed every conversation thoroughly, as she is quite vibrant and so expressive - it makes talking to her very enjoyable. One other thing I admire about this young woman: she always brings her absolute best on the day of the state meet. Not only that, but she seems to be able to elevate the performance of her whole team in the process, a sign of true leadership. I suspect that she still has some improvement ahead of her as a runner, too, but only time will prove me right or wrong on that one.
Emma Astrike-Davis' Athlete Profile