BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Everyone student walking across the Campbell University campus has a story to tell.  Some of those stories are more unique than others.
 
Some students have faced physical challenges, multiple surgeries and other obstacles in their goal of studying at this place.
 
Emily Pierce has endured those hurdles.  Not only did she overcome two brain surgeries to earn an academic scholarship and later gain entrance to the Catherine W. Wood School of Nursing, but she's also become an all-conference and record-breaking athlete on the Campbell University cross country and track teams.
 
Campbell's school record holder at the 4,000-meter cross country distance (14:01.9) and in the indoor track 1,000 meters (3:00.0) received just one Division I offer out of 1-A Eno River Academy in Hillsborough.
 
Less than three years later after accepting a walk-on spot on the Campbell cross country and track teams, she is an all-conference award winner in the CAA indoor mile, where she finished third last winter (4:52.55).
 
"I didn't think there would be an opportunity to (compete at the Division I level) until Coach (Evan) Darm reached out," said Pierce.  "I had a lot of D2 and D3 interest, but Campbell gave me the opportunity to study nursing and run."
 
At one point during Pierce's college decision-making process continuing with her running career was an option.  Studying nursing was non-negotiable.  She was prepared to pursue her academic work at UNC Chapel Hill or UNC Wilmington before the possibility of studying and competing at Campbell became a reality.
 
"I came in with a really big academic scholarship," said Pierce.  "Campbell's expensive. We didn't know if we could afford it, but it's incredible to know that we have that support system (from donors), even from people I don't even know."
 
The generosity of Fighting Camel fans, alumni, family, and friends truly makes a difference in the lives of student-athletes at Campbell University.  Through the Women's Empowerment Fund, the Fighting Camel Club's goal is to make that experience even better, specifically for our female student-athletes.  To join the Fighting Camel Club, click here.
 
An early diagnosis
Before she turned 13, Emily underwent two brain surgeries.  She was diagnosed with Chiari malformation, a condition that puts pressure on the spinal cord and can cause scoliosis.
 
At the age of seven, then again at 12, Emily had to put her athletic and scholastic career on temporary hold because of surgery.
 
"My life has looked different from everyone else," said Emily, who currently has a 42-degree scoliosis curve.  "Sports has looked different. I've had to miss games because I had to have surgery or had to wear my back brace.  I feel like I've had to work harder just to be at the baseline as everybody else."
 
Not long after starting to compete in gymnastics at the age of six, she underwent her first surgery.  After recovering, she added soccer to her athletic pursuits but was forced to give up gymnastics after her second operation due to the risk of injury.
 
Emily was encouraged to start running by her father, Michael, a former Marine and highway patrolman, triathlete and marathoner, who was also her high school coach.  She competed in cross country as a sixth grader before undergoing surgery the following January.
 
By that time, Emily had caught the running bug, and her competitive juices flowed over into soccer and basketball as well.
 
Family support             
Emily's mother, Jennifer, is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at Duke Hospital and helped her then seven-year-old daughter understand what she would face when undergoing surgery and later during her recovery process.
 
In fact, Jennifer also had surgery for Chiari malformation and shares a similar scar from the procedure with her oldest daughter.
 
Emily is quick to credit her parents and her younger sister, Molly, for supporting her through multiple surgeries, recovery and helping her achieve her goals.
 
"(Molly) has been one of my biggest inspirations," said Emily.  "When I went through my brain surgeries, Molly was my number one supporter, even though it was incredibly difficult for her at such a young age. She has grown to be not only my sister but also my best friend, and I feel like her presence in my journey is a huge part of who I am today."
 
A similar path
Darm, a 2015 Campbell graduate who is in his second year as head coach of the Camel program, also ventured to Buies Creek from a small high school – Marquette Academy in Ottawa, Ill.  Like Pierce, he went on to earn all-conference honors as a distance runner.
 
"We (both) went to a small, 1-A high school," said Pierce of the similarities she shares with her coach.  "We did soccer, both played striker. We did basketball, both played point guard, cross country, indoor and outdoor track.  He knows what I'm going through.  He can humble me or give me confidence at the right time.  I trust his training a lot."
 
Darm was the first Division I coach to contact Emily in the fall of her senior season, but it wasn't until the spring semester that she truly believed she could compete at the highest collegiate level.  After finishing ninth in the state 1-A high school cross country championship and runner-up in the 1,000 meters in the state indoor meet, she decided to pursue both an academic and athletic course at Campbell.
 
"I was doing all those other sports and wasn't that good of a runner, but Coach Darm saw something in me," said Pierce.
 
As for nursing, it wasn't just the example set by her mother, but also the care she received during her hospitalizations that convinced Emily to follow in the same career direction.
 
"I had the best nurses at Duke Hospital; I just knew I wanted to be like them one day," said Emily.  "I think it was my second brain surgery when I woke up and the first people I saw were the nurses. They were so kind, and the people that helped me to walk that day, and that really inspired me that I wanted to do this for someone else and help someone else like me."
 
Steady improvement
In her first race of the 2025 season, Emily shaved more than a minute off her personal best time to set a school record of 14:01.9 in the 4,000-meter race at the Elon Cross Country Opener.  She has seen similar improvement on the track, where she set the school indoor mark in the 1,000 (3:00.0) last January at the Dick Taylor Challenge in Chapel Hill.  Pierce then won for the first time on the collegiate level when she claimed the mile race at the Liberty Open in February before earning the bronze at the CAA indoor mile (4:52.55).
 
Darm's routine of having his athletes write down their goals at the start of each season was a motivating factor for Pierce.
 
"There were a few races my sophomore year that showed me I could do a lot more," she said.  "When we got to outdoor season and I started running 4:40s in the 1500, I was shocked. I thought that was something I would never be doing.  My freshman year, I wanted long term to sub 5 minutes in the mile and an 18-minute 5K.  My goals at my freshman year were very different from the ones I handed him at the start of this season."
 
Pierce is motivated not only by a competitive streak, but also by recent Campbell graduate Dorcas Ewoi, who won the silver medal for her native Kenya in the 1,500 meters at the 2025 World Championships.
 
"God motivates me the most," said Emily, "also my family and Coach Darm."
 
She also sees the results of her training, and how her times are creeping closer to those run by Ewoi, who holds the school indoor record of 4:47.06 and finished fifth in the 1,500 meters at the 2023 NCAA Championship.
 
"This summer I was running 60 miles a week when no one was watching," said Pierce.  "I would wake up early and I would double every day just to get the mileage in.  "Dorcas Ewoi just got second at the World Championships, and she came from Campbell University!  Seeing what's in reach gives me more confidence."
 
Beyond the track and trail
Even before she walked into her first class at Campbell in the fall of 2023, Emily was actively seeking a well-rounded college experience.
 
"At orientation, I asked the spiritual leader if they had a Methodist group, and they didn't, so I thought when I get here, I'm going to start one."
 
And she did – the Wesley Foundation – which draws 20-30 students for its weekly prayer service on Wednesdays.
 
She also discovered that she was able to use the newly-introduced NCAA Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) platform in a number of ways.
 
"I started posting videos on my Instagram of "Campbell Life" and what's it's like to be a Division I athlete and nursing student, people started following me," said Emily.  "I had about 2,000 followers my freshman year and now have 21,000.  I had no idea that NIL would be such a big thing for me."
 
A Campbell Athletics-produced YouTube video "It All Started When: The Emily Pierce Story" helped Emily share her personal journey with a larger audience.
 
Through her management team, Emily has represented brands such as Go-Go Squeeze, C4 Energy, VKTRY insoles and Dick's Sporting Goods.
 
She also is a member of the Duke Children's Hospital influencer program and helps draw attention to the causes of the facility where she received such incredible care.
 
Emily was also accepted into the NCAA NIL Women's Empowerment program, where she was able to gain direct access to Meta product experts to learn how to build a personal brand, grow an audience and maximize NIL opportunities across Meta's platforms, as well as make connections and networking opportunities with other female student-athletes and industry professionals.
 
"It was incredible to connect with people like Paige Bueckers (the 2025 WNBA rookie of the year), to learn from them and I was glad to represent Campbell in that way," said Pierce.
 
A busy schedule
"I love it! I love the busy life," said Pierce, on how she manages to balance schoolwork, training, competition, rest, recovery and a full extra-curricular schedule.  "I love serving my community, I love running and doing my schoolwork and I love recovery as well, I love to sleep, to take a quick nap."
 
What's her secret to time management?
 
"If you can really focus in on the priorities and the important things, you can do it," said Pierce.  "I also hate being told 'no.'  I had a goal (to be accepted into) nursing school, and I have goals for running. I've smashed some school records, and I want to smash some more.  Being driven by the experiences I've had really inspires me to do bigger things."
 
Beyond the requirements of pre-dawn workouts and late-night studying, Emily knows fully well that her academic efforts will mean more than just a high grade, or a lucrative career opportunity.
 
"What we're learning in nursing school is going to save someone's life in the future," said Pierce.  "I'm not just learning this to take the test, I'm learning this to help others."
 
What's next
With most of her junior and senior seasons still in front of her, Emily's goals are clear.
 
"I want to break the school record in the mile, 5K, 3K, 1K (again) and hopefully go for those outdoor ones next year," said Pierce, who is also a member of the CAA Commissioner's Honor Roll.  "I want to win the mile at the CAA, earn points in other events, get to regionals, nationals, I have big goals.  I want to pass nursing school with good grades, have internships this summer, work in a hospital.  Long term, I want to go back to nursing school either to study to be a Nurse Practitioner or CRNA and to continue running post collegiately, either professionally or with a club.  And my relationship with my faith, growing in that way.
 
Whenever she competes, Emily draws from a lifetime of experiences that have prepared her for her next challenge.
 
"When I get on that line, I know that I have worked so hard to get to that point," said Pierce.  "Everyone else has a different journey, but God just had a plan for me to continue my running. My team and coach give me a lot of inspiration to have the confidence to be there and compete at the highest level of the NCAA."