Editor’s Note: Over the next weeks and months, Emmaussports.com will be spotlighting senior spring sports student-athletes at Emmaus High School who have had their final athletic year cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Today we spotlight Mackenzie Dries (MD) of the girls track and field team with our Q and A session:
Q: How are you coping during these difficult and uncertain times with the Coronavirus pandemic?
MD: I am keeping a positive mindset, focusing on my future at Millersville University, connecting with new friends and finding roommates. I am making sure to get plenty of sleep and have found ways to distract myself through exercise and new hobbies.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you day to day?
MD: For me, the biggest challenge is finding structure and adhering to a set schedule. It’s very easy to ignore my alarm clock in the morning and hit the snooze button seven times.
Q: What are you doing to keep busy?
MD: I have been keeping busy with schoolwork, keeping up with my friends, exercising and catching up on my favorite shows. I’ve also taught myself how to sew and have made a few new articles of clothing for myself.
Q: How disappointed are you now that the spring sports season has been cancelled?
MD: I am very disappointed to be missing out on my senior track season and not being able to run with my second family one last time. This year was a really important year for the Girls 4 x 100 relay team. We have been together since my freshman year and have been working towards breaking the school record since then. We came within .28 seconds of the record and we were hopeful that this would have been the year to do it.
Q: What is your favorite memory from your high school sports career?
MD: It’s hard to choose just one favorite memory. Some of my best memories came from our trips to the district and state meets. But overall, my most favorite memory from track has been meeting all of the friends I have made over the years who have become my second family.
Q: What are you future plans after high school? If college, what school have you committed to and do you plan on playing sports and what will be your major?
MD: I will be attending Millersville University in the fall majoring in General Business and minoring in Biology. My initial plan was to not continue my track career but to participate in intramural sports, however, because of the current circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and the cancellation of our spring season, I have decided that I am not ready to hang up my spikes just yet.
Q: What’s the best advice you can give to your underclassmen?
MD: Cherish every moment you have with this team. Give 110 percent every day that you’re on that track because you’re not always guaranteed another race.