Montana State University-Northern Head Cross Country Coach Deborah Callahan announced the signing of Emerson Kinsella to join the Cross Country and Distance Track program in the fall. 

"I'm very excited that Emerson will be coming to MSU-Northern and joining our Cross Country and Track team" stated Coach Callahan. "Her focused attitude, hard work and pride in teamwork will strengthen the team. She eagerly anticipated becoming a SKYLIGHT!"

Emerson, originally from Havre, Montana, attended high school at North Star in Rudyard, MT. At North Star, Kinsella excelled in track, ranking top three in her school for several events. Her best times included 2:45 in the 800M, 6:03 in the 1600M, 13:30 in the 3200M, and 4:26 in the 4x400 relay.

"Emerson has been a fantastic part of our track team of the past four years," states Brian Campbell, Track Coach and Athletic Director of North Star Schools. "She epitomizes being a student-athlete. She is a tremendous teammate and will work hard to be successful at the next level. Nice hustle, M!"

Emerson had an incredible junior and senior year, as she placed first at districts both of those years. She was selected to be All-State her junior year in the 3200M and 4x4 relay. This season she was All-State in 3200M, 1600M, and 4x4 relay. Emerson took third this year in the Top 8 Meet.

Coach Callahan continued, "We look forward to watching her grow at Northern and his next level of running which includes cross country, something that was not offered by her current school due to size."

Kinsella excelled in the classroom and was honored with Academic All-Conference all four years and was Academic All-State in 2025 with a current GPA of 3.79. She keeps busy with her other participation in basketball, volleyball, football manager, SkillsUSA and National Honors Society. Emerson will be majoring in Elementary Education.

She is the daughter of Kirk and Kate Kinsella. "We are so excited and grateful for this incredible opportunity for Emmie to join the MSU-Northern Cross-country and track team" stated Kate Kinsella. "We are incredibly proud of her hard work and dedication and look forward to supporting her in this new and exciting chapter!"

When asked why she chose Northern he replied, "I chose MSUN because I value this community, and there's nothing like representing your hometown."