Moranda ready to defend state title

Emily Moranda knew she was fast.

She could tell that from the time she spent on the soccer field outrunning her competitors.

She just didn't know how fast she was until she tried out for the Mountain Home High School track team as a sophomore.

She thought she'd be a good runner, but wasn't sure in what events.

Luckily for her, it only took track and field coach Richard Urquidi a day to figure out she was going to be a hurdler.

"I'm really glad he did, it turned out to be very successful," Moranda said. "It came pretty natural."

Success came in the form of a state title in the 300-meter hurdles last year and three district titles the week before the state meet.

Last week, she won the 100-meter hurdles at the district meet, placed second in the 300-meter hurdles and was a member of the winning 4X100-meter relay team and the second place 4X400-meter team.

Moranda said it was pretty amazing to win state her second year running.

She will look to defend her title Thursday and Friday at the state track meet at Boise State.

She said her loss in the 300-meter hurdles to teammate Francesca Hale will provide her with the motovation to push harder for state.

Moranda is only 0.02 seconds off of her winning time at last year's state meet and said she definitely wants to keep her title.

She keeps track of her competition in the southern part of the state as she races against them and uses newspapers to keep track of her competitors in northern Idaho.

"I'm excited because I think I can do good," Moranda said. "I expect to win again. I've been practicing really hard."

After practice, Moranda can often be found working on her own at the gym or on the track.

During the day, she sometimes uses her period as a teacher's assistant for extra practice time.

She's not the only one putting extra time in on the track as she pursues another state title.

She said Urquidi also puts in extra time with her during his prep period when she asks.

"If it wasn't for him (Urquidi), I wouldn't be as far as I am," Moranda said.

Moranda plans to walk on to Boise State's track team in the fall and will study pre-med. She wants to be a general surgeon or an OB/GYN doctor.

She said she was nominated by Sen. Mike Crapo to attend the United States Naval Academy but turned down that opportunity because she didn't think the military was the right fit for her.

Urquidi thinks Moranda has a good shot at repeating at the 300-meter hurdles, calling her "the person to beat in the 300 hurdles." He said her chances in the 100-meter hurdles depend on how she gets out of the blocks.

She's more of a stronger runner than a flat-out speed runner, which favors the 300-meter hurdles over the 100-meter hurdles, Urquidi explained.