Emmaus senior Sam Fritzinger knows exactly what it feels like to be a champion. The former Eastern Pennsylvania Conference girls golf champion and a two-time district winner was once again the favorite heading into last week’s EPC Golf Championships.

She put forth a performance that left no doubt why she’s become the area’s top female golfer in the high school ranks.

Fritzinger captured her second straight EPC title last Monday at Bethlehem Golf Club with a round of 79. She finished 16 strokes ahead of the next girl finisher, teammate Belle Keopraseut with a score of 95.

“My goal going in was to play the best golf I could and try to help my team make a good showing,” Fritzinger said.

Fritzinger’s 79 was the top mark of any Emmaus golfer and she hoped that would be enough to put the Hornets in contention for a team championship. Nazareth, the undefeated regular season champ, had three golfers place in the top 10 to earn the team championship.

Emmaus finished in third place behind Nazareth (320) and Central Catholic, which received a combined score of 329 from its top five golfers. The Hornets scored one point behind the Vikings. Eric Cichocki fired an 81, while Connor Wambold (86), Blake Kelly (94) and AJ Olszweski (96) rounded out the remaining Hornet scorers.

“We knew going in that there were some very good teams that we would be playing against,” Fritzinger said. “But our goal was to play well and see how that ended up.”

“The goal as a team was definitely to win the tournament, but we are more focused on districts,” said Cichocki, who placed seventh and medaled for the Hornets. “It was tough to play the tournament on Nazareth’s home course with them as our toughest competition, but I still think that we have a great chance of defending our district championship and advancing in the state tournament.”

While Fritzinger admitted she struggled at times with her driving and putting, she played well for much of the round besides a couple of holes in the middle of her day.

“I was playing decent up until hole 8,” Fritzinger said. “Through holes 8 to 11 I struggled and went 6-over par, but after that I kind of got it together because I knew I wanted to keep my score somewhat good.”

On the contrary, Cichocki’s play over his final three holes was a deciding factory for the Hornet senior not improving on last year’s fourth-place finish at leagues. Still, he played well enough to finish as one of the league’s best.

“Although I did earn a medal,” he said. “I was disappointed with the way my rounded ended (playing the last three holes 4-over), and I thought I should have shot much lower. Overall the score was decent, but my finish left a bad taste in my mouth.”

What would get rid of that sour taste is a strong showing in the district qualifier and district tournament rounds. Cichocki shot a 78 during last year’s district run that saw the Hornets shoot a 305 and win the Class 3A team title.

“I was able to get off to a decent start, which was important to get into a little bit of a rhythm,” Cichocki said. “I played really well in the middle of my round with a couple of birdies and was 5-over par through fifteen. It was disappointing to play my last three holes 4-over, especially considering that they were the relatively easy holes.”