She captained the girls’ basketball team. She led the Lady Falcons to the state playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. And next year, Emia Willingham-Hurst is headed to Siena College with a Division I scholarship.

With all of her supporters by her side, Willingham-Hurst verbally committed to Siena on March 21 in Albany High’s media center. Her next step is to sign a national letter of intent on April 17, the first day of the NCAA’s signing period for basketball.

This year, Willingham-Hurst led the Lady Falcons to AHS’s first Section II championship since 1998. The Falcons’ stellar season came to an end on March 9 with a loss in the state quarterfinals to Cicero-North Syracuse, though with a final score of 51-49, they certainly put up a fight.

Willingham-Hurst has received immeasurable support along the way. Her fellow Falcons, first-year coach Decky Lawson, students and staff, family and friends—everybody has had her back the entire journey.

The future looks bright for Emia Willingham-Hurst. She actively volunteers, serving as a coach for Albany’s Junior Falcons basketball program. She holds a steady spot on the honor roll. She plans to study pediatrics at Siena next year. And she has left a legacy here at AHS that will be difficult to match.