Senior Spotlight is a summer series highlighting incoming area high school senior athletes.

There’s been no shortage of activity during Emily Brandt’s three years at Lawrence High, so it’ll be no surprise when you find her back on the tennis, gymnastics, diving or cheerleading teams this fall.

Swimming was always Brandt’s passion throughout junior high, but her routine backflips at cheer practice swayed her over to the diving team when she arrived at LHS — an idea that now-retired LHS swim coach Kent McDonald met with hesitation given her swimming history.

But Brandt’s judgment worked out. She’ll return to LHS as a three-time state diver after finishing seventh at the Class 6A state championships in Topeka earlier in May.

“(McDonald) figured out that I would be getting more points for the team through diving over swimming,” Brandt said. “I think he was kinda like, ‘Do you thing, I’m going to leave you be.'”

This fall, Brandt will also return valuable experience to LHS head girls tennis coach Chris Marshall. As a junior, Brandt posted a 16-9 record in singles and missed out on the state-qualifying fifth-place championship by a single match.

Brandt, one of just four seniors slated to return to Marshall’s program, said last season served as a building block of confidence for the team.

“I’m less worried about being a leader than I am about just being done,” Brandt said. “I think (leadership) has crossed my mind, but all the girls on the team are great. They’re all kind of on their own and they’ll still be able to form a great team.”

Brandt noted LHS alumna Bella Kirkwood (2021) and Abby Marsh (2023) as key role models during her time as an underclassman.

“(Marsh) did a great job of rallying everyone,” Brandt said. “She just loved tennis so much and it was wonderful to be around her.”

In the back of Brandt’s mind is a college decision. She hopes to explore biology and biochemistry wherever she winds up in the fall of 2024, but doesn’t plan to continue pursuing any sport in school, which will remove one potential complication.

“Sports kind of hinders that (decision) a little bit just because of the competitiveness of college athletics,” Brandt said. “It’s just easier to be able to pick where you want to go and not have to worry about making a team or being worse than everyone else.”