Emily Brown is shown wearing Pitt attire after officially signing her National Letter of Intent on Thursday. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Throughout her athletic career, the name Emily Brown of Fredonia High School has been synonymous with excellence. Her local and state achievements have led to her signing a letter of intent to run with Division 1 University of Pittsburgh last month.

“She’s an incredible athlete. She’s one in a lifetime for a coach,” said Fredonia cross country coach Carol Zirkle. “It’s been an incredible opportunity for me to coach someone so talented. It’s just so fun. It’s been a very fun ride.”

That ride has been documented for years in the OBSERVER. Even before high school, Brown was making an impact in cross-country and indoor track as she started competing in seventh grade. In all, she made nine trips to the state championships and has also gone twice to the state Federation Meet — an overall state championship meet including schools of all designations.

“If you love it, that’s the thing that will bring you to bigger stages,” she told OBSERVER sports editor Braden Carmen. “The love that you have for your sport is the whole point of it all. You do it because it’s something you love to do. If I didn’t have as much love for the sport as I do, I don’t think I would be running in college.”

Congratulations on an incredible career.