Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
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“As far as female distance runners, she’s the best (in Eastwood history). No one else compares,” said Eastwood coach Nathan Howard of Leah Emch. “We’ve had some really good athletes. She is probably 10th to 15th out of about 15,000 cross-country runners (this season). There are at least 4,000 runners in Division II.”
That’s what Howard, who lifted her team to incredible heights both in the conference and the state, had to say after Emch finished fifth in Div. II in 18:24.57, sending her out on top of a magnificent career that has seen her compete at the state meet three times. Last year, Emch was 14th in Div. II in 18:56.7. Two years ago, she was 14th in 19:14.0. “Going into the race, my plan was to go out at a comfortable pace and get into position where I could compete with (the other runners). In the first 800 meters, I didn’t think I could maintain this as much as I can, and my brain was going crazy,” said Emch. “I was shocked; finishing fifth was crazy to me. I didn’t have any confidence that I was going to maintain (that pace). You’ve just got to trust your training, and it worked out well in the end.
Howard talked about the way she ran the race.
“It was our highest finish for a girl in our school’s history. Natural talent is part of it – you have to have that ability first. She’s a good racer; she knows how to respond to other people’s moves,” said Howard. “She got out and was first at the 400 (meter) mark, she wasn’t afraid to compete. With about 800 (meters) left, she made a great move and finished strong. I think that’s what makes her special — she’s not afraid of competition, and she knows how to race well.”
Emch is also a stellar track runner and holds the school record in the 3200 (11:24.01), and a relay record in the 8/4/12/16 (13:01.83), where she ran the 1200.
“I would say my drive and motivation come from the love of running and doing it for myself and my teammates and coaches because if they believe in me, I should be able to believe in me, too,” she said. “As a senior, I wanted to be a role model and show that anything is possible.
“My coaches always tell me, ‘your teammates look up to you.’ To be motivated by them, I don’t want to let them down – I just want to keep doing the right things and to really show them that if I can do it, they can do it. We run the same workouts, the races. You just have to find it within you. It’s motivating knowing there are girls looking up to me,” she said.
To give you an idea of just how good Emch is, she won the Northern Buckeye Conference Tournament by nearly a minute, finishing in 18:39.7, 57 seconds ahead of Arriana Dugan, who is from Maumee.
The Eagles finished second with Emily Payne, Brynn Sheets and Keira Dawson also earning league honors. After she graduates, Emch is planning to continue her academic and athletic career at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, which is about 40 miles west of Fort Wayne
“I chose the college because of the atmosphere and the girls on the team. It reminded me of my high school team,” she said. “The coach is very nice, and he told me what his philosophy was, and I believe in that, too. When I met the girls, it motivated me even more because they were so nice and open. They showed how much they cared for each other.”
Grace College is home to 1,400 undergraduate students and has an endowment of $10 million. It is a private evangelical Christian school. The Lancers compete in the NAIA.
Emch will likely go down as one of the finest athletes the area has even seen, and that’s not hyperbole. She earned all-Ohio honors three times in Div. II and was twice the Northern Buckeye Conference champion. (She also finished second in 2022 and third in ’21.)
All in all, it was a successful season for a team that had advanced to the state meet in each of the three previous seasons.
“We knew there was going to be a tough time replacing some of the seniors we lost. We knew it was going to be a little thinner this year,” said Howard. “Emily Payne ran really well. We had some girls step up, like Emerson Sheets. We love the girls we have; it wasn’t to the state level like it was for the last three years, (but) nearly every single runner had a PR and just got better. We have a fun, hard-working group of girls coming back next year.”
