SPEEDWAY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Approachable. Dedicated. A mentor. These are attributes that certainly can apply to senior student-athlete Emerson Turnquist. As a member of the wrestling and baseball teams at Speedway, Emerson has been a part of much recent success. The attributes above describe how those characteristics might influence team performance. “I always admired Emerson and the attitude he possessed while on our team,” said wrestling head coach Nick Paden. Emerson was locked in and won an ICC individual championship this year for the ICC runner-up squad, but that commitment wasn’t just for himself. “Emerson seemed to do a great job at taking younger wrestlers under his wing and helping them grow,” noted Paden. “Sports are a great way to find new people and challenge yourself,” said Turnquist. “He also showed up every day ready to work hard,” recalled Paden. “One thing you could count on when Emerson wrestled was that he was going to give all he had. He gives all his heart when competing.” Shifting gears to baseball, Emerson thinks that might be the sport where he continues play it beyond Speedway. And that’s no surprise to first-year varsity baseball head coach Matt Burke. “Emerson is a great kid, one of the easiest young men I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach,” said Burke. “He has been a great addition to our baseball program and he will be missed next season and beyond.” Turnquist is the son of Joe and Tabatha Turnquist. He has a younger brother Austin who is a sophomore at Speedway, a younger brother Carson who is a sixth grader at Newby and an older sister, Katelynn, a graduate of the high school.