Multi-sports athlete Emmy Wood gifted off the field too

Philip Simmons High School student-athlete Emmy Wood was named Academic All-America by the USA Lacrosse Association.

 

If the truth be known, she probably could have received similar honors in other sports as well.

 

Wood was solid in the just-completed LAX season. She collected 24 goals, 20 assists, 22 ground balls, 29 turnovers, and 71 draw controls to lead the Iron Horses to a 14-3 record and into the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs.

 

But the numbers that really make a statement are her class ranking and GPA. Wood, who graduated in May and is matriculating to the University of South Carolina in the fall, ranked No. 5 out of 220 students in the PSHS Class of 2024. Her GPA was 4.0 – 5.269 on a weighted scale.

 

She was second-team All-Lower State, which is quite an accomplishment for a hard worker who had to overcome an ACL injury in the first game of her sophomore year.

 

While she shone on the field, she was just as valuable as a mentor to the younger players on coach Beth Smiley’s team.

 

“Using my 11 years of lacrosse experience, I enjoy helping young players advance their knowledge during our summer PSHS kids’ lacrosse camp and other camps throughout the year,” said Wood, who finished her LAX career as an Iron Horse with 60 goals, 52 assists, 79 ground balls, 73 caused turnovers, and 105 draw controls.

 

Smiley will miss her skills and leadership ability.

 

“Emmy is an amazing scholar-athlete, and I was blessed to have her as a player the past five years. She has a very strong work ethic, is dedicated, and gives 110 percent all the time. She is an amazing team player and always puts those around her in a better situation.”

 

Wood was also a gifted distance runner for the Iron Horses in cross-country and track and field.

 

She ran cross-country for five years and was captain in 2023 and ’24. She served as a conduit between Smiley and the rest of the team.

 

“I encouraged everyone to do their best in practice and races,” Wood said.

 

Wood helped the Iron Horses win six region titles and two state championships in 2011 and 2012, while finishing second in 2010. She was a four-time all-state selection.

 

She was also part of the Iron Horse track and field machine that won state championships in 2009 and 2010. Her specialty was the 3,200-meter run.

 

If you think athletics were her only extracurricular activity, you thought wrong.

 

Her curriculum vitae in this area was quite diverse. She was a member of the National Honor Society and was class president her junior and senior years. She was a member of the Iron Hearts Club, which promoted inclusion, kindness, and friendship at the school by engaging her special needs classmate. She was also a member of the Anvil Club.

 

Yes, the Anvil Club. That was a group that collected PSHS students’ artworks, writing, and photos, and created a literary magazine.

 

If you listed all her extracurricular activities, well, that would require a second story.