Emily Betz, a rising junior at East Ridge High School, helped lead her cross-country team to a fifth-place finish at the 2012 state meet and finished 12th in the 3,200-meter run at the state track and field meet in June. She's looking forward to helping her teams get back to state in the upcoming school year.

When did you start running? I started cross-country in eighth grade but I started track in seventh grade for my middle school.

How did you get involved in running? Basically my parents were like, 'Oh, do you want to do this?' and I was like 'OK.'

Did you play other sports? I played soccer and softball and basketball all the way up to eighth grade in our recreation league.

East Ridge is projected to have a strong team this year. What's that like going into the season? It's exciting. I hope that we can all do good this year and place well at state.

How much running do you do a week? I'm not really sure [of the mileage]. We practice every weekday and then on Saturday. Sometimes we have morning practices.

What has been your favorite high school memory so far? I like the pasta parties before every meet, and just hanging out with the team.

What's your goal for the season? To help my team win state and do well.