On Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, Central Bucks East senior Holden Emery was recognized for committing to continue his track and cross country careers at the University of Pennsylvania.
Holden Emery – University of Pennsylvania (Track & Field/Cross Country)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Penn, Michigan, Yale, Columbia
Reasons for choosing Penn: “Just the city atmosphere, and Philly is so close to here. I thought it was a great option. Also, the strength of their business program drew me to the school. The track program was great, and Franklin Field has such a great history of track.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and cross country at the collegiate level? “During my junior year, I was able to have a winter season before COVID shut everything down, and I placed second in a very big invitational at Ocean Breeze. That was where I ran 1:54 (in the 800 meters), which was the first time I ran a very significant time that was D1 standard. That’s what really started me looking into schools. What really cemented it was my second place finish at the state championships. It was really great to see how many opportunities I had just because of running.”
Coach Chris Pierangeli says: “Holden is an outstanding young man, and that’s even beyond the track. As a young runner, what stood out was his perseverance and determination, which is another way of saying incredible mental toughness. Each week of his training, he would just get better, and in the middle of his sophomore year had some breakout races that made us all realize he had the chance to compete at the next level. Fortunately, with those incredible characteristics as a young man, he had some speed and talent to go with it and went on to be an incredible 800 runner. He was second in the state in his junior year before COVID took the spring season, and he was the leadoff of a school record breaking distance medley relay, running the 1200-meter one of our fastest times in school history. (As a senior, he finished second in the 800m in districts and states.)
“The combination of the incredible mental toughness, determination, perseverance and then the skill and talent and speed to go with it made Holden a joy to teach and coach. His intelligence and adaptability in general – he’s one of the brightest kids I’ve had a chance to coach, and I know he will do tremendous things at the University of Pennsylvania, so I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to help him on this journey and can’t wait to see how successful he’ll be in so many facets, first at the University of Penn running but also well beyond that.”
About Holden:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad
Favorite artist: Kanye West
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