Last week the Emmaus cross country teams ended the regular season. If head coach Kami Reinhard could dispense grades, there’s no doubt what they would be.

“Both teams get an A-plus,” she said.

Records don’t tell you everything you should know about the girls and boys cross country teams, but they do tell you a lot.

The Emmaus girls have been awesome, ending the campaign with a 17-0 record, which included a nail-biter win over rival Parkland.

“We couldn’t be happier for the girls team,” said Reinhard. “It was a close one against Parkland and it wasn’t easy.”

Senior Isabella Lees has been superb for the Hornets and is the team’s leader.

“Her overall character and performance shines excellence on the team and we are so grateful the girls team has her as a role model for the future,” said Reinhard.

Another outstanding runner during the undefeated regular season was Hailey Reinhard, who is a hard worker and “has kept the bar high.”

A fact that could give the rest of the East Penn Conference pause is the Emmaus girls cross country team accomplished perfection with a young team. The Hornets will have four freshmen on the postseason roster, with two in the team’s top five. Payton Campbell, Isabella Scarlata and Ava Palamara have played a significant role in the Hornets’ success in what was considered a rebuilding year.

“There is more to this team beyond winning,” said Reinhard. “We want them to remember that important point as we enter the postseason.”

The Emmaus boys were also a force, last week ending the regular season with a 16-1 mark.

“That was a huge accomplishment and the coaching staff is so proud of our boys team,” said Reinhard.

The coach acknowledged the boys did not have their best performance in the season’s last dual meet, but added several factors contributed to that result.

Senior Ethan Strzempek emerged as a fine runner. The coach noted “he really began to focus in these last two meets,” and finished first overall in their meet against Parkland in 17:56.

“Ethan holds incredible potential and he is an excellent role model for the boys team,” she said.

The Emmaus boys roster includes three freshmen on the postseason team, with two in the Hornets’ top five runners.

Next up, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference cross country championship is scheduled for Oct. 19 at DeSales University.

“Our number one focus entering postseason is getting our athletes to the starting line healthy,” Reinhard said. “Competing at EPC and districts is really exciting, especially this year, because there are so many extremely talented teams. It will be very close, so these meets will truly test the limits of the human heart in more ways than one.”