KELSEYVILLE — Emma Larsen is relocating to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, where the Kelseyville High School senior will continue her academic and athletic pursuits.
Larsen is the daughter of Kelseyville High School athletic director and varsity football coach Erick Larsen and Ingrid Larsen. She is an accomplished swimmer for the combined Clear Lake/Kelseyville team and will pursue a career in nursing at Morningside College, which is paying most of her $29,000-a-year tuition through a combined academic/athletic scholarship.
Larsen recently finished first in the 50-yard freestyle and second in the 100 freestyle for Clear Lake/Kelseyville at last weekend’s Coastal Mountain Conference Championships in Fort Bragg. She picked up two medals (one second, one third) as a member of the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relay teams.
Morningside College is spread out over a 68-plus-acre campus and is home to 2,000-plus full-time students.
In terms of athletics, the Morningside Mustangs field teams in 12 men’s sports and 10 women’s sports, including swimming. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and its teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Originally a member of NCAA Division II, the college made the move to NAIA following the 2000-01 season.
Morningside offers degrees in 65-plus undergraduate programs, including nursing.
Larsen is the latest in a string of high-profile Kelseyville senior athletes to commit to colleges or universities for the 2019-20 academic year. Volleyball and basketball star Payton Conrad will attend Simpson University in Redding while boys wrestling star Alex Garcia is headed to Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and girls wrestling state runner-up Jasmin Clarke will attend Life University in Marietta, Georgia.
