The Westover School in Rockaway, N.Y., does not have a track team.
But that did not stop Westover graduate Izu Emeagwali from rewriting the Penn track record books and being a leader since the day she arrived.
The senior sprinter and captain of the women's track team continues to break records and compete on a level that sets a standard for many of the team's rising young runners. The unique thing about Emeagwali, however, is that she has faced some challenges many collegiate runners will never have to.
"She's a great captain, and she sticks her nose in [her teammates' faces]," women's track coach Gwen Harris said.
While Emeagwali's school lacked a track team, this did not keep her competitive nature at bay. Emeagwali was voted by area coaches onto state all-star teams in field hockey and lacrosse. She was named captain and Most Valuable Player of both squads, where her leadership abilities began to blossom.
Her organized running experience began in middle school when she was the best sprinter on her teams, but she can trace her love of running back even earlier.
"I remember when I used to beat all the little boys on the playground," Emeagwali said.
Most athletes at Penn are top prospects in their respective sports and are recruited heavily by coaches. Although Emeagwali had impressive credentials in lacrosse and field hockey, she did not pursue either in college.
Instead, she attempted to get recruited as a track athlete. But few schools even gave Emeagwali the time of day, much less a serious tryout.
So when she landed at Penn, she was forced to try and make the team as a walk-on.
Adding to the challenge posed by her walk-on status, Emeagwali had stress fractures in both of her legs, a career-hindering injury common to runners.
"The team took a huge gamble on me," she said.
The gamble paid off almost right away, as Emeagwali reached the finals of the outdoor Heptagonal Championships in the 100-meter and 200m dashes as a freshman.
Early the next season, Harris sat down with Emeagwali to discuss some serious goals for the future. Emeagwali's aspirations included breaking Penn's sprint records and competing in elite collegiate meets.
"I wanna break records, I wanna go to [the Eastern College Athletic Conference championships]," Emeagwali told Harris before her sophomore season. But Harris was simply concerned with Emeagwali's goal to finish her season injury-free.
They worked out a training schedule sensitive to Emeagwali's injuries, which gave her an opportunity to succeed. Much of her training included lifting weights, biking and pool workouts, designed to strengthen her running muscles and still keep her mileage down.
"She asked to do more work ... Her training goals have gotten progressively better with the help of our trainer," Harris said. "She rode the bike and lifted like a crazy-man."
"I only [run] heavily two days a week, light a third," Emeagwali said. "I wouldn't be here without the people who have pushed me and graduated in the past, and my trainers and coaches."
Her training has improved her performance significantly, as Emeagwali set Penn's record in the 60m dash her sophomore season. The next season she broke her own record in the 60m and set another in the 100m.
She went on to qualify for the ECAC Championships in both the 200m and 60m last season -- the first time she had qualified in her two top events.
However, hours before the bus departed for Boston, Emeagwali was stricken ill by a stomach virus which hospitalized her for over 10 hours.
"It was a little heartbreaking," she said, as she was not able to show her talent in one of the most elite NCAA track meets.
A setback such as this is only minor for someone like Emeagwali, who will be sure to be ready for her spring season. This winter she earned second-team All-Ivy honors, and she is on pace to break the school's 200m outdoor record, break her own 100m record, and lead a squad of young Quakers to a record breaking 4x400m relay.
"I am my greatest competition," Emeagwali said. "If I can beat myself, I'll end up beating other people as well."
With this approach, she has overcome much adversity, and it is this attitude which makes her such a profound leader for such an inexperienced young team.
