Harrisburg, Pa. - Pennsylvania Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Emily Shertzer has been chosen by the Air Force as the Athlete of the Year for her sustained success in military athletic competitions, Air Force officials said today.
Shertzer's, from the Air National Guard's band of the Mid-Atlantic, had many athletic accomplishments in 2011 and had the fastest female time in the history of the All-Guard Marathon Team with a time of 2 hours, 54 minutes at the National Guard Marathon in Lincoln, Neb.
She won the top spot for National Guard females and second place among all female runners. It was her first marathon.
In November, Shertzer led the Air Force at the 2011 Armed Forces Marathon Championship and Marine Corps Marathon when she finished with a U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying time of 2:45, coming in second place for women and less than 30 seconds behind first place.
In January, she ran the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials with a time of 2:49.
Shertzer is a full-time environmental planner at Fort Indiantown Gap.
She graduated from Moravian College in Bethlehem, where she received a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in music. She also holds a master's degree in environmental science from the University of Texas.