This is Abby Dalton’s second year running at Emmaus. The sophomore distance runner, however, wasn’t able to compete in last year’s annual Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Track and Field Championships.

“It feels awesome since this is my first time at leagues,” Dalton said. “I just needed orthotics. And now that I have orthotics I’m good.”

She was more than just good during last week’s two-day competition at Whitehall High School’s Zephyrs Sports Complex. Dalton ran her way to three medals, including two in individual events, that paced a strong showing for a number of Lady Hornets.

While Dalton had plenty of remarkable moments throughout the competition, none stood out more than her finish in the 3,200-meter run. It took one final push down the last straightaway for Dalton to pass Bethlehem Catholic’s Kassandra Yocco for gold, edging her out by .25 seconds.

“I kept going as hard as I could towards the end,” Dalton said. “I didn’t think I could catch her. But at the end I got a burst of energy and passed her. I was extremely surprised it happened. I didn’t expect that.”

With Dalton being seeded ninth in that event, it was nearly impossible for her to imagine a first-place finish, let alone a medal at all.

“All I wanted to do was beat my best time and my seed,” Dalton said. “I didn’t expect to medal.”

Dalton was also a member of the Lady Hornets’ 3200 relay team that took silver early on Day 1 of competition. Along with Sophie Pickering, Katrina Durrwachter and Katie Bacher, Dalton helped Emmaus push champion Easton to the limit before losing by less than a second.

Bacher had another solid performance in individual events. She placed third in the 1,600-meter run, closely followed by Dalton in fourth.

In her other individual event, Dalton didn’t get off to the best start out of the gate. But once she was able to free herself from the rest of the pack, she walked off the track knowing she would have another medal credited to her name.

“It was extremely frustrating because I was boxed in from the start,” Dalton said of the 1,600 meter run where she placed fourth. “I could not get out until the second lap. I sprinted up to the front of the pack, and I tried to hang in there.”

Sally Baer threw 33-7 1/4 inches in the shot put for fifth place, narrowly missing out on a medal. Vanessa Huber placed sixth in the javelin with a throw of 109 feet, one inch, a little more than 10 feet shy of winner Becca Meisse of Stroudsburg.