When it came down to choosing a school for next year, Emmaus High School senior Reece Wieder chose a promising program instead of one with an established tradition. He also had to choose between two sports.

Wieder decided to continue his academic and lacrosse career at Division 3 Nazareth College in upstate New York.

“Nazareth had a bigger-campus feel while still having smaller class sizes with a more personal relationship with the professors,” said Wieder. “I also loved the location of the campus and the direction I saw their lacrosse program was another thing that made my choice even easier to make. Before I decided on Nazareth I was also looking at Arcadia, Moravian, DeSales, and Florida Southern College.”

Wieder played football and lacrosse for the Hornets, helping guide Emmaus to the District 11 Class 3A lacrosse championship in 2019, its first in four years.

“Some of my most memorable and favorite moments came as a Green Hornet,” Wieder said. “That includes winning districts last spring, all of the team bonding trips I did with the teams over the years, and all of the lasting friendships I created with my fellow seniors, all the underclassmen through the years, and all of the seniors who graduated before me.”

With the cancellation of the spring season this year due to COVID-19, Wieder is looking forward to getting back out on the field to play the sport that he loves. He has been keeping busy by working out and finishing his school work in the final weeks of his high school career.

“Not being able to play my senior year is making me very anxious and eager to get back on the field to play again this fall and next spring,” said Wieder. “Being able to gear up this fall with my new teammates will be the best feeling after being away for so long, but it won’t be quite the same as being with the guys I’ve played with my entire life.”

With about two weeks left until graduation, Wieder has begun to reflect on his time as a student-athlete at Emmaus and use his experiences for the future this fall.

“My time at Emmaus as a student athlete was the most memorable time of my life,” Wieder said. “I created some of my closest friendships through being on the football team and lacrosse team for all four years here. Being a student athlete has prepared me for college in many ways, especially teaching me to manage my time and all my homework while playing two sports and working on the weekends.”