The six months Emma Sullivan spent recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon were a time of worry, yes — “Will I ever be as good as I used to be?” the former Shepherd Hill Regional track and cross-country star wondered — but also a period of reflection, rediscovery and recovery.

Sullivan missed most of her junior indoor and outdoor track seasons at Kennesaw State, where she is now a senior, due to the injury and at one point questioned if she would run again.

“People don’t realize,” Sullivan said during a recent phone interview from Kennesaw’s Georgia campus, “that as a runner, all we’ve got is a pair of shoes and the road. I’m not on a soccer or a football field with 10 other people helping me out. It’s all on me every single time I step on the track. It’s a very beautiful thing when you’re at your peak, and it can be a very hard thing when you’re injured.”

Sullivan worked tirelessly at rehab, made lifestyle changes such as adding more protein to her diet, focused on her mental health and pushed forward with support of her family, friends and teammates.

“With their encouragement,” Sullivan said, “I decided, ‘I’m going to come back and be a better version of myself,’ and I really did work through that, and I’m thankful I was able to.”

On May 31, Sullivan secured her spot at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, by running a personal-best 2:01.71 in the 800 at the NCAA East First Rounds.

Sullivan will compete in the NCAA semifinals June 12.

“This has a little extra sweetness,” Sullivan said. “I always say I’m thankful, but this year, I am extremely thankful.”

Sullivan’s time ranks third in Kennesaw program history.

“I just believed in what my coach has been telling me,” Sullivan said, “‘Run with confidence. Have a little chip on your shoulder. You deserve to be there. It’s your day. Don’t let anyone take it away from you.’ That’s definitely something I used.

“It felt awesome to cross the finish line,” Sullivan said. “You put in so much time Monday-Friday practicing, lifting weights, doing all the small things to get better. Finally seeing that time was a surreal feeling.”

Shepherd Hill senior Emma Sullivan off to fast start

Sullivan’s PR was about 10 seconds faster than her best time at Shepherd Hill, where she was an eight-time T&G Super Team all-star in track and cross-country and the 2019 Hometeam Cross-Country Runner of the Year.

She calls or texts her former Shepherd Hill coaches, Nicole Fossas and Len Harmon, after every race.

“They did so much for me in high school,” Sullivan said. “I wouldn’t be here without them. I’m forever grateful for them and they know that.”

Sullivan began her college career at Jacksonville State, where she competed for two years. Her parents, sister and grandparents relocated to Florida when Sullivan enrolled at Jacksonville State. Her family now lives in Fort Pierce, Florida.

“They believe in me and love me so much,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan, whose hobbies include drawing and painting, graduated from Kennesaw State in December with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. She hopes to teach elementary school. She has one season of eligibility left in indoor and outdoor track, and she will return to Kennesaw next year for a “super senior” season as she called it.

Sullivan said she returned to full health late last summer, after months of rehab and physical therapy, and she had a good cross-country season, including a 27^th-place finish at the Conference USA Championships.

Heading into the NCAAs, “I’ve never felt so strong,” she said. “I’m at the peak of my career, which is a very exciting thing.

“It’s hard when you’re injured in any sport,” Sullivan said. “Something you love is taken away. I don’t take anything for granted any more. Every race, good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Every day I can put my shoes on and go for a 12-mile run, I’m thankful.”

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – This past week at the annual Heart Business Meetings held on the Graceland University campus in Lamoni, Iowa, Heart of America Athletic Conference Commissioner Nik Rule announced the final standings for the 2024-25 Heart Commissioners Cup.

Benedictine Athletics finished in third place with a score of .715, just .001 points behind Park University in second place at .716 and .006 points behind 2024-25 Commissioners Cup winner MNU with a score of .721.

“This year’s finals standings show how competitive the Heart of America Athletic Conference remains,” said Benedictine Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer. “We are committed to remaining competitive within the conference every year and are excited to get back to work on winning the 2025-26 Commissioners Cup in August.”

MNU earned back-to-back Commissioner Cup wins, which is the highest finish in the standings for Park. Benedictine finished in second place last year and this year, won Heart titles in Football, Men’s Indoor Track, Women’s Outdoor Track, and Women’s Lacrosse. They also won Heart Tournament Championships in Volleyball, Women’s Basketball, and Women’s Lacrosse.

About the Heart Commissioners Cup:
The award, which will be presented by Commissioner Nik Rule to MidAmerica Nazarene this fall on campus, serves as a symbol of athletic excellence in conference-sponsored championships.

The 13 Heart schools earn points throughout the season contributing to the Commissioner’s Cup for their finish in the Heart sponsored sports of: men’s cross country, women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, men’s indoor track & field, women’s indoor track & field, men’s volleyball, men’s wrestling, women’s wrestling, cheer, dance, men’s bowling, women’s bowling, baseball, softball, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s outdoor track & field and women’s track & field.

Each conference regular season champion for the following sports earned a maximum amount of points based on the amount of teams participating in that sport. Then that number is divided by the amount of teams participating in that sport:

Women’s volleyball, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, men’s volleyball, baseball, women’s lacrosse, men’s lacrosse, and softball.

For example: Women’s Soccer Regular Season, Missouri Valley earned 13 points out of 13 teams competing, and they earned a 1.00 percentage.

13/13 = 1.00 – Percentage (First Place)

12/13 = .92 – Percentage (Second Place)

The same formula was put in place for the following sports and their finishes by Heart teams in the respective Heart Conference Championships:

Men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s indoor track & field, women’s indoor track & field, men’s wrestling, women’s wrestling, cheer, dance, men’s bowling, women’s bowling, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s outdoor track & field and women’s outdoor track & field.

For example: Cheer Heart Conference Champion, Grand View earned 10 points out of 10 teams competing, and they earned a 1.00 percentage.

10/10 = 1.00 – Percentage (First Place)

9/10 = .90 – Percentage (Second Place)

To compile the final list of the 2024-25 Heart Commissioner’s Cup Standings, each team’s percentage in each sport they compete in was added up and divided by the amount of total sports they compete in. Final results are an average cumulative Heart finish for each institution in every conference sport that they sponsor.

Behind MNU, Park and Benedictine in the final standings was CMU (.627), Mount Mercy (.624), Grand View (.602), Baker (.572), William Penn (.551), Missouri Valley (.473), Peru State (.417), Clarke (.416), Culver-Stockton (.405) and Graceland (.318).

Previous Commissioners Cup winners:
2024-25 MidAmerica Nazarene University
2023-24 – MidAmerica Nazarene University
2022-23 – Grand View University
2021-22 – Grand View University 
2020-21 – Grand View University
2019-20 – Central Methodist University
2018-19 – Benedictine College

www.ravenathletics.com | #UnleashGreatness | www.benedictine.edu

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Luke Hatfield Jackson and Paden Lewis will compete at the 2025 Division One Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The championships will take place at the University of Oregon at Hayward Field, June 11-14.

Both Hatfield Jackson and Lewis will compete on Friday, June 13th. Hatfield Jackson will compete in the high jump at 4:30 p.m. PT and Lewis will compete at 4:40 p.m. in the discus throw.

At the regionals meet Lewis broke the SEMO discus record with a throw of 193′ 2″ to place 10th and Jackson cleared a height of 7′ 1.5″ for 12th.

The top eight athletes in each event will be rewarded with First Team All-American Honors. The next eight performers will earn Second Team All-American Honors.

NCAA Outdoor Championships
June 11-14 | Eugene, Ore. 
Results | Schedule | ESPN+
 
PRINCETON, N.J. – Closing out an outstanding year, the Princeton women’s track and field team will send three Tigers to Eugene, Ore. for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 11-14. 
 
Mena Scatchard will compete in the 1500m, Shea Greene will compete in the javelin, and Georgina Scoot will compete in both the long jump and the triple jump. These three Tigers helped lead Princeton to its third all-time Triple Crown this year while reaching new heights and setting new records individually. 
 
Scatchard, the 2025 indoor NCAA runner-up in the mile, will make her third trip to NCAAs this academic year after competing in both the cross country and indoor track championships. Scatchard, the 2025 Ivy Champion in the 1500m, punched her ticket with a second place finish in her heat in the quarterfinals, clocking in at 4:08.34 to set a new Princeton record. Her time bested her own school record of 4:11.10, set in 2024. Scatchard holds seven records across the Princeton record books, also breaking the records in the 800m and 5000m this season.
 
Greene will make her second outdoor NCAA Championship appearance after breaking her own Ivy League record in the javelin with a throw of 56.91m/186-8″ at regionals. The achievement came just weeks after Greene claimed the Ivy record and the Ivy Championship title in the event at Outdoor Heps. 
 
Scoot will also make her second trip to Eugene, competing in both the triple jump and the long jump after winning the Ivy Championship title in both events this season. Scoot punched her ticket with a sixth-place 6.32m/20-9″ finish in the long jump and an eighth-place 13.04m/42-9½” finish in the triple jump at regionals. At Outdoor Heps, Scoot was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet after setting new meet records in both the triple jump and the long jump as she won her titles. For her efforts, she was also named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week on May 12th. 
 
The Tigers are led by Head Coach Michelle Eisenreich, in her ninth year at the helm. This year’s Triple Crown marked the first since 2011 and first under Eisenreich’s leadership, capped off with an Outdoor Heps victory that saw the most points ever scored by a women’s team at the meet. 

 

Oakland University is a nationally recognized doctoral university of high research activity located on 1,443 acres of scenic land in the cities of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills in Oakland County, Michigan. The University has 142 bachelor’s degree programs and 138 graduate degree and certificate programs. Academics include programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, School of Education and Human Services, School of Engineering and Computer Science, School of Health Sciences, School of Medicine and School of Nursing. As an anchor institution in southeastern Michigan, Oakland University is committed to building ongoing and collaborative relationships with the surrounding communities. Community and civic engagement enhances the lives of our students and has a positive impact on our broader community.