The Emmaus girls and boys track and field teams continued their winning ways last week, with the girls and boys easily defeating Central Catholic 141-9 and 125-24 respectively on April 14. Three days later on the road, both squads won close battles over Hazleton. The girls earned a 79-71 win, while the boys downed the Cougars 74-71. The wins raised their season records to 4-0.

head coach Kami Reinhard’s girls and boys squads are among the EPC’s best. Acquiring such a lofty status has not been by accident. It involves the dedication and work of each athlete and Reinhard, but also seven assistant coaches.

“Our team couldn’t run without the help of each and every coach,” said head coach Kami Reinhard. “It’s even more complicated this year as we are responsible for doing COVID screens daily for 176 athletes and we run separate practices to maintain more distance.”

Hurdles coach Mark Wiragh “brings a strong sense of confidence to our hurdlers, which is needed for such a highly technical event,” Reinhard said.

Wiragh was a standout athlete at Moravian College who has experience in numerous events. The Hornets’ track contingent is “definitely one of our stronger event groups this year.”

Distance coach Kristen Susens is an Emmaus High School teacher who has been with the school’s cross country and track programs for more than eight years.

“She has done a really great job helping our athletes understand pacing,” said Reinhard. “Her workout printouts and guidance have been very helpful. Kristen encourages her athletes to reach their maximum potential with a realistic approach.”

Distance coach Page Woodbury had an unusual journey to the coaching ranks. He had served for years as a PIAA track and field official.

“He knows the ins and outs of the sport,” said Reinhard. “That fact alone makes him very valuable to our team. He encourages the boys distance team and talks with them daily and works hard to get the boys distance team to work together.”

Throws coach Ashley Petre is a former Hornet athlete whose experience with PIAA competition is an asset. Petre invests time outside of practice designing training and throwing plans for her athletes.

“Her focus is on technique and development and has managed to build a very strong sense of team among the throws team,” Reinhard said.

Kate Lynch serves as the Hornets’ pole vault coach. A prodigious collegiate athlete, Lynch holds a current record at West Chester University and advanced to PIAA competition during her high school days at Emmaus.

“She has 15 pole vault athletes and her technical expertise has already led to having one of her athletes currently seeded number one in the EPC league and district.”

Jumps coach Zach LaBar is another Emmaus High School teacher who also had a sterling high school career while at Nazareth. LaBar coaching experience and communication prowess is a calming influence with his jumpers. He knows how to turn “potential” into “reality.”

“He does an excellent job developing athletes who have little-to-no experience in jumps,” said the head coach. “It’s joyful to watch the athletes progress over a season, let alone multiple seasons.”

Development coach Brian Miller has one of the more challenging jobs, as he coaches athletes in many different event groups. Miller is in charge of working with athletes who show exceptional potential and who benefit from more overall conditioning before settling on a specific group.

“He spends much time outside of practice working on training plans for all of his athletes,” Reinhard said.

BOYS

Emmaus 125, Central Cath. 24

100: Gabe Trexler (E) 11.7, 2. Colin Byrne (E), 3. Nairi Lin (E); 200: 1. Aidan Dougherty (E) 23.8, 2. Matthew Bruchak (E), 3. Tyler Hargis (E); 400: 1. Jarrett Lysek (E) 53.0, 2. Gavin Grim (CC), 3. Dylan Bassett (E); 800: 1. Geoffrey Kleinberg (E) 2:09.4, 2. Joseph Duffy (CC), 3. Matthew Norton (E); 1600: 1. Ethan Strzempek (E) 4:57.9, 2. Nicholas Buonanno (E), 3. James Manley (E); 3200: 1. Samuel Dalton (E) 10:43.5, 2. Jacob Demchak (CC), 3. Nicholas Buonanno (E); 110H: 1. Kyle Ryan (E) 17.3, 2. Maksym Komperda (CC), 3. Andrew Cho (E); 300H: 1. Kyle Ryan (E) 42.4, 2. Alex Harmon (E), 3. Alec Ward (E); 4x100: 1. Emmaus (Matthew Bruchak, Aidan Dougherty, Colin Byrne, Gabe Trexler) 44.9, 2. Emmaus, 3. Central Catholic; 4x400: 1. Emmaus (Jarrett Lysek, Dylan Bassett, Geoffrey Kleinberg, Shep Henseler) 3:43.3, 2. Emmaus, 3. Central Catholic; 4x800: 1. Emmaus (Geoffrey Kleinberg, Holden Brown, Matthew Norton, Oscar Felegy) 8:45.7, 2. Central Catholic; High jump: 1. Patrick Donohue (Central Catholic) 5-9, 2. Deylain Newton (E); Pole Vault: 1. Luke Rautzhan (E) 10-0, 2. Owen Mont (E), 3. Ryan Vary (E); Long jump: 1. Shep Henseler (E) 19-0 1/2, 2. Deylain Newton (E), 3. Quinlan Johnson (E); Triple jump: 1. Deylain Newton (E) 37-7, 2. Evan Loro (E), 3. Maksym Komperda (CC); Shot put: 1. Davonte Hinds (E) 40-11, 2. Clark Gulycz (CC), 3. Srijan (E); Discus: 1. Matthew Magee (E) 89-4, 2. Clark Gulycz (CC), 3. Davonte Hinds (E); Discus: 1. Tristan Schmidt (E) 173-8, 2. Hayden Schmidt (E), 3. Keshav Shankar (E).

GIRLS

Emmaus 141, Central Cath. 9

100: 1. Gianna Buysse (E) 13.4, 2. Olivia Sullivan (E), 3. Carly Rohrbach (CC); 200: 2. Jena Luck (E) 28.9, 2. Heather Augustin (E), 3. Emily Buss (E); 400: 1. Samantha Walkiewicz (E) 1:02.7, 2. Ashleigh McNellis (E), 3. Krissy Heilenman (E); 800: 1. Hailey Reinhard (E) 2:22.9, 2. Kera Reinhard (E), 3. Isabella Lees (E); 1600: 1. Addison Kleinle (E) 5:31.9, 2. Keerstin Augustin (E), 3. Clara Kennedy (E); 3200: 1. Izzy Kehoe-Huck (CC) 12:47.8, 2. Claire Engel (E), 3. Nicole Nosal (E); 100H: 1. Tayah Mehrtens (E) 17.3, 2. Isabelle Russo (E), 3. Olympia Curley-Katrishen (E); 300H: 1. Bethany Brown (E) 50.3, 2. Sarah Jane Waterman (E), 3. Olympia Curley-Katrishen (E); 4x100: 1. Emmaus (Madison Brown, Gianna Buysse, Heather Augustin, Jena Luck) 53.4, 2. Emmaus, 3. Central Catholic; 4x400: 1. Emmaus (Samantha Walkiewicz, Ashleigh McNellis, Keerstin Augustin, Madison Brown) 4:15.7, 2. Emmaus, 3. Central Catholic; 4x800: 1. Emmaus (Claire Engle, Ava Rincon, Keira Walther, Brooke Transue) 11:35.9, 2. Central Catholic; High jump: 1. Sheldyne Pierre (E) 4-8, 2. Zoria Komperda (CC), 3. Elizabeth Samer (E); Pole Vaults: 1. Morgan Belisle (E) 8-0, 2. Mackenzie Bruns (E), 3. Peyton Rautzhan (E); Long jump: 1. Sachiko Price (E) 14-11, 2. Aubrie Pavlacka (E), 3. Sheldyne Pierre (E); Triple jump: 1. Sachiko Price (E) 31-6 1/3, 2. Aubrie Pavlacka (E), 3. Delaney Mehrtens (E); Shot put: 1. Catherine Sirignano (E) 29-4, 2. Molly Lineberger (E), 3. Lillian Shields (E); Discus: 1. Molly Lineberger (E) 88-10, 2. Catherine Sirignano (E), 3. Julia McDonnell (E); Javelin: 1. Lillian Shields (E) 84-10, 2. Julie Vertees (E) 80-1 3/4, 3. Hannah Gehman (E).