Northampton’s cross country teams had two meets in the past week.

On Saturday the team traveled to Hershey for the PIAA Foundation Invite, and then on Tuesday the squads went to Pleasant Valley for a meet against the Bears, Pocono Mountain East and Pocono Mountain West.

“The Hershey course is always challenging, but when you factor in that the weather was also unseasonably warm, it made for a tough day,” said head coach Dan Benner. “But, I was happy with the way the team competed and worked.

“One of the reasons we go out to Hershey is to get a tough workout running that course and the hills. The other reason is, it is the same course as the state meet, and we hope to get back out there running again in November for states.”

The top-seven girls from Hershey were Amber Poniktera (21:16), Magen Perelli (21:47), Georgia Wiswesser (22:17), Hannah Flaven (23:26), Lauren Pague (24:12), Olivia Rigo (24:14), and Beth Albright (24:18). The top-seven boys were Vince Gallagher (18:08), Isaiah Tyler (19:12), Evan Gillette (19:43), Owen Nahf (20:34), Matt Heisler (21:34), Nic Quinones (21:36), and Wyatt Poniktera (22:05).

On Tuesday, the team had a successful day in EPC competition. The girls went 3-0 on the day with wins over Pleasant Valley (20-40), Pocono Mountain East (15-45), and Pocono Mountain West (15-45). The boys went 2-1 with a victories over Pocono Mountain East (25-35) and Pocono Mountain West, but falling to Pleasant Valley. The girls now sit at 6-3 on the season, while the boys are 5-4 this year.

“This is the first time since Sept. 12, 2012, that both the boys and girls have winning records at the same time,” Benner said.

The team is starting to focus ahead on their remaining meets as well as the upcoming EPC and district races. Probably one thing everyone can agree on is the cooler weather will be a welcomed part of fall.

“Times at Pleasant Valley were not our best, but given the fact we came off a tough course on Saturday and the weather was very warm again, I was pleased with how we ran,” Benner said. “The weather should be cooling down over the next week or so as we head into October, and then we can starting cranking things up for the end of the season.”

Next week the Kids head to Easton to have a meet against East Stroudsburg North, East Stroudsburg South, and Stroudsburg.