PIASA - Junior Emily Lowis, a standout Southwestern High School athlete, said she feels very fortunate to run for such a solid cross country program under Head Coach Gary Bowker.
Lowis is the Riverbender.com October Female Athlete Of The Month For Southwestern High School. Through the 2020 fall season, Lowis has become one of the Piasa Birds' top runners.
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She first mentioned Coach Bowker for what he means to her and the Piasa Birds' cross country program:
"I’d thank Coach Bowker because he always works my team and I hard enough to improve but doesn’t exhaust his athletes," Lowis said. "He cares about every single one of his runners and knows their individual talents. He always makes practice entertaining for my teammates and I, so we enjoy coming to practice every day even though we have work to do."
Recently Lowis placed eighth in the Wood River Cross Country Invitational.
"I started running cross country as a sophomore, so I’ve been running for two seasons, but I love everything about it," she said. "I love coming to practice and running with my team, they make it enjoyable, like we are friends and not just teammates. Another reason I love cross country is the athletes we run against. Everyone is supportive and always make everyone feel like they are doing an amazing job.
Lowis said the sports she is involved in shaped her today because they taught her determination.
"When athletes run, they can’t tell themselves to stop, they need to tell themselves to persevere," she said. "Without a determined mindset, they would never finish with their full potential. This attitude transferred to my everyday life and helps me proceed with my struggles throughout the day."
Lowis acknowledged she would like to continue playing sports into college but may want to focus on her education.
"I haven’t had enough time to think about it," she said. "I haven’t decided on a college major yet, but I have thought about becoming a teacher and/or coach.
"I take school very seriously. I plan to keep my 4.0 and continue my education with a good college."
Lowis is a strong track and field athlete and volleyball player. She does the pole vault, long jump, 4 x 200 relay, and 4 x 400 relay in track and field and is a middle blocker/hitter in volleyball.
Lowis serves as co-captain of the cross-country team, along with Laina Wilderman.
Riverbender.com's Athlete of the Month program is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and the cooperation of our area high schools. This is a great accomplishment and one to be very proud of. Please join us in congratulating this young athlete. We at Riverbender.com wish you continued success in your future!
