Pictured- Sacred Heart’s Emmy Lee, who has recorded the state’s top Class 2A freshman times in both the 800 and 1600-meter races.

Emmy Lee quickly made her mark in Class 2A distance running this spring.

In her high school track debut at the St. John’s-Beloit Invitational, the Sacred Heart freshman won both the 1600- and 800-meter races. The outcome was hardly a surprise.

After all, she went unbeaten in two seasons of middle school track, clocking school records in both events.

As this season has progressed, Lee has lowered her times even though she hasn’t won every race.

At last week’s NCAA League Championships, she broke her own school records in the 1600 (5:16.11) and 800 (2:19.92), claiming both league crowns comfortably.

“I felt pretty good,” said the soft-spoken Lee, who simply stepped off the track after each race and watched the rest of the field finish behind her.

The 5-foot-3 Lee ranks fourth in Class 2A in the 1600 and third in the 800, but those times place her only third and second, respectively, in her regional meet that begins Friday in Inman.

In short, her regional is that loaded.

The top three finishers from each of the four regionals, plus six wild cards, will move on to the Kansas State Track and Field Championships on May 29-30 at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium.

Lee, expected to advance in both events, is more focused on helping Sacred Heart’s 4×800 relay qualify for state. The Knights have one of the top 2A times, but four of the fastest seeds will face off in Inman.

“We’ve been improving,” she said of the relay team, which includes junior Mia Hamilton, senior Skylar Douglass and Lee’s older sister, junior Addie Lee. “I think we’ll be OK.”

Lee shows little emotion on the track or basketball court, where she helped Sacred Heart win an unexpected 2A state title, but make no mistake: she is fiercely competitive.

“I know Emmy takes it seriously and tries to do things the right way with training and routine to give herself the best chance to perform well,” said her mother, Sara Lee, the Knights’ distance coach. “She sets goals and pushes herself … you just know she will give her best every time.”

Sara Lee was a standout cross-country and distance runner for Sacred Heart in the late 1970s, earning multiple state medals before competing at Colby Community College and Oklahoma State.

“Being coached by my mom makes track even more special because she encourages me, pushes me to improve and makes our team feel like family,” she said.

“My mom was a great runner, and being able to do what made her happy means a lot.”