Hall of Fame
Emily Artesani Walton was one of the dominant sprinters in her era (2006-10) as a member of the University of Southern Maine track & field team, winning a combined 18 Little East Conference titles (15 individual, three relay). In doing so, she helped lead the Huskies to four consecutive LEC indoor and outdoor team championships.
Artesani Walton was undefeated at the LEC indoor and outdoor championships in the 200-meter dash, and swept the 400-meter dash events her freshman through junior seasons. Two of her three relay titles came as a member of the 2008 and 2010 indoor 4x200 relay. Artesani Walton finished her collegiate career as the program’s indoor record holder in 400 for both the indoor (59.32) and outdoor (58.05) seasons in addition to holding the outdoor 200 (25.65) record, and was ranked second in the indoor 200 (26.48). She remains in the top-10 in each of those four events to this day.
The Orono, Maine native’s 2009 indoor season was her most decorated. It saw her named the 2009 LEC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, just the second year the award was offered by the LEC. In addition to winning the 200 (27.09) and 400 (1:00.98) titles on her home track, she won the 55-meter dash in 7.69 seconds.
Artesani Walton would also earn a total of 13 All-New England and nine All-ECAC honors in her career. Her combined excellence on the track and in the classroom saw her named a Second Team Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), while Southern Maine named her a recipient of its William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Award each of her four years as a Husky.
Artesani Walton earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Maine in 2010, and went on to earn a master’s in education from the University of Virginia. She was inducted into the Husky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.