College athletics can often result in the lowest of lows and the
highest of highs, and one who can certainly attest to that is Emily
Moorefield, as she experienced each end of the spectrum thanks to a
transfer from Muskingum College to The College of Wooster.
When it came to choosing a college, Moorefield, a graduate of
nearby Triway High School where she had won the 1989 state
championship in the 800 meters and placed among the top-five two
other times at state track meets, wanted to leave the area, thus
eliminating Wooster.
Muskingum, another NCAA Div. III institution in southeastern Ohio,
was Moorefield's initial choice. Two years with the Muskies,
though, were øa frustrating and unsuccessful time (both)
athletically and academically," according to her. Moorefield then
decided being close to home wouldn't be so bad. After all, Wooster
was where her mom (Carlin Cremeans '68 Moorefield) and grandparents
(Charles Cremeans í36 and Virginia Flory í35
Cremeans) attended.
The change in scenery, and coaches even more so, as well as taking
the fall semester off from running, turned out to be just what she
needed, as Moorefield went from being just another runner in the
pack to one of the most accomplished women's athletes in Wooster
history. In her first season with the Scots (1993 track) and head
coach Dennis Rice, she won conference titles in the indoor 1000
meters (3:09.79) and the outdoor 800 meters (2:19.71).
øCoach was demanding and challenging, and determined to see
me through training sessions I didn't think I was capable of,"
recalled Moorefield. øHe was an inspiration and a mentor in
many, many ways. He had a team of wonderful people that I admired
and respected. It was a wonderful, life-changing experience."
Moorefield's first full year with the Wooster program was 1993-94.
Returning to cross country, she made a dramatic impact, taking
second at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships (19:01)
and 18th at the NCAA Div. III Championships (18:15) for her first
All-American certificate. The Shreve native carried that momentum
over to the track, as Moorefield captured NCAC Runner-of-the-Year
honors at both the indoor and outdoor meets. She increased her
collection of conference championships to eight, including
individual crowns in the indoor 1000 (3:05.19) and 1500 meters
(4:47.62) and the outdoor 800 (2:18.5) and 1500 meters (4:44.65),
and then wrapped up her track career with an All-American run,
finishing fourth at the NCAA meet in the 1500 meters (4:38.70).
Moorefield had one more semester of cross country before
graduating in December of 1994, and she was able to make another
jump in her training and racing, making her final season, her best
yet. She won individual titles at both the NCAC's (18:55) and the
NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Regional Championships (18:02), capped by
a fifth-place showing at nationals (18:03.6) for her third
All-American honor.
Among the keys to Moorefield's success, according to Rice, were
øa very strong work ethic," in terms of being able to handle
a high workload running-wise without breaking down, being
øextremely competitive," and successfully maintaining
øbalance in her academics, social life, and running."
Those characteristics ring true today for Moorefield, who remains
the lone Wooster harrier to be an All-American and still holds the
school record in the outdoor 800 meters (2:14.86). She and her
husband, Mike Mariola, own two downtown Wooster businesses ‚
Moorefield Pottery, an art gallery/studio, and South Market Bistro,
a fine dining restaurant. They live on an 86-acre farm outside of
Wooster, where they're restoring an 1832 stone house and raising a
small herd of sheep, with son Ian Michael (2), and they're
expecting another addition to the family any day now.
