Photo by Kyla Pothier

Emma Pavelek prepares to defend the Salam Tigers on March 1 at home.

There are not many multi-sport athletes at Point Park University, but Emma Pavelek is one that is truly special.

On Feb. 24, Pavelek claimed the first women’s Mountain East Conference championship in Point Park’s history, finishing first place in the high jump. She received a mark of 1.67 meters, a number that sits third among school records.

“High jump is, at this point, muscle memory for me,” Pavelek said following her win. “I went out there and I was fortunate enough to have a good jumping day and I ended up bringing home the gold. I was really excited about that and definitely to be able to help my team out in scoring second overall.” 

Pavelek, a senior public relations, advertising and social media major, has been participating in track and field since the seventh grade, but before that, she played basketball in fourth grade. She initially joined the track and field team as a way to stay in shape for basketball, but soon found that she enjoyed it just as much.

“I ended up being pretty good at high jump and a couple other events,” Pavelek said. “I was like, you know what, I like this. And I just ended up doing both for the rest of my career.”

Pavelek did not begin her college years at Point Park, as she transferred from Alderson Broaddus University in the fall of 2022. She was planning to transfer once again after the semester, however her mind was easily changed after being a part of two sports teams.

“I just met amazing people and I met so many great friends that I’m gonna have for the rest of my life,” Pavelek said. “My teammates on both teams were just great and I was like, you know what, I like it here, I’m gonna stay here.”

When it comes to playing two sports in college, Pavelek said it adds to her resume, making it look more impressive. In terms of the athletic side of things, she said that each sport helps her improve in the other.

“The biggest advantage is just always being in shape,” Pavelek said. “It’s all year round, 12 months out of the year I’m doing something. It’s either track or basketball. Keeps me fast, keeps me lean, keeps me jumping high for rebounds or over the bar, whatever that may be.”

Track and field has certainly helped Pavelek’s play in basketball, as she put up 293 points for the Pioneers this season and 821 in her career with Point Park. 

Of course with the advantages of playing two sports, there comes challenges as well. But Pavelek believes that she does well managing her athletics.

“I think the hard part is just the physical side of it,” Pavelek said. “That’s a lot of time to be doing high intensive college sports training. Most people, basketball season ends, you get a little bit of time off, then you kind of ease into postseason. But for me, basketball ends and the very next day I’m heading into track. So I just got to kind of find a good balance of being able to take care of my mind and my body and do both of them.”

Pavelek said her track performance was unaffected as the school transitioned from the NAIA to NCAA Division II, as she was already competing against schools from Divisions I, II and III. When it comes to basketball, that is a different story, with Pavelek mentioning “consistency” in the new opponents as a big stand out difference.

“A lot of these NCAA teams are a lot more developed and they have a set program, a set offense, a way that they do things,” Pavelek said. “For example, West Lib (West Liberty) is known to be a shooting team, or Glenville (State) is known to be a big pressing team. They’re very set on what they do and they’re established, and I think that plays a big role in it.”

With the success she’s had in both of her sports, Pavelek gave lots of credit to her family, specifically to her parents and her brother. 

“They are everything to me,” Pavelek said. “They are at every single game. They’re like the team mom and dad. They don’t miss a game. They’ll drive eight hours to a game if they have to. They support every decision that I make. They always have my back 110% percent and I know that I have the best support system behind me at all times, and that makes being a two sport athlete immensely easier when you know you have those people behind you all the time.”

During her long careers in both basketball and track and field, Pavelek said that working hard and being humble are two of the most important things she has learned.

“I’ve always been told that growing up and I think I try my best to live that way,” Pavelek said. “At the end of the day, if you’re humble while simultaneously working hard, most things are gonna work out for you. And if they don’t, you’re gonna find a way to make something else work out for you. It’s really resilience at that point.”

Emma Pavelek is a senior in the classroom, but she will be working towards her master’s degree soon, leaving her eligible to continue playing basketball and participating in track and field next year. 

For now, Pavelek is looking ahead to the first round of the MEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Wheeling, W.Va on Wednesday, and the 49ers Classic for track and field in Charlotte, Nc. on March 21.