The dual meet season is over for high school swimming and the Emmaus girls team finished with a 7-4 overall record while going 7-1 in the East Penn Conference. The only conference loss of the season came to EPC champion Parkland.

There is still some work to get done between now and districts as members of the team hoping to earn a spot in the District 11 championships will compete in the annual Last Chance Meet at Emmaus on Feb. 25, one week before districts.

This past weekend, Emmaus competed in the Cedar Crest Classic, held at Parkland High School. The meet brings together schools from all over the area to compete.

Hornet senior Mya Puentes put together an impressive performance with a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly and a sixth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle event. She also was part of the 200-yard freestyle relay team that placed fifth in the competition, joining with Hailey Reinhard, Chloe Vlaeminck and Morgan Gould in that event.

Puentes went to states in her sophomore season but missed the cut last year as a junior. She is hoping to return this season when the PIAA holds their championships at Bucknell University in mid-March.

“It would definitely be exciting if I could go again this season as a senior,” said Puentes, who will continue her academic and swimming careers at West Chester University next fall. “I am still working on being more positive and working on my skills in and out of the water, doing a lot of work in the gym and in the pool.”

Emmaus head coach Tim O’Connor is excited about how Puentes has approached the season and believes that she will not just qualify for states but can do well once she gets there.

“She had a dynamic freshman and sophomore season and last year was a letdown year for her and her teammates, who really wanted her to make it to states because she is such a dynamic teammate and athlete,” said O’Connor. “She is strong physically and brings a lot of joy to the team with her bubbly personality. The pandemic has thrown a lot of kids off, but she has adjusted to things and really been aggressive this season and a lot of that goes to the coaches at Emmaus Aquatic Club and especially Matt Beckwith, one of the coaches there who has worked with her on strength and conditioning, too.”

At the Cedar Crest Classic, Gould, a junior, was the only other swimmer on the girls team to gain a top five finish when she placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke. Fellow junior Catherine Sirignano had two top-ten finishes with a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. Vlaeminck, a senior, placed sixth in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing just behind Puentes.

In addition to being a member of the 200-freestyle relay team, Reinhard was a part of both the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that added sixth-place finishes. Izzy Sparaco and Amelia Baldwin were also members of those two teams, while Natalie Mack joined in on the 200-yard medley relay team. Reinhard, Sparaco, and Baldwin were teamed with Georgia Magditch for the 400 freestyle.

“The team overall is doing well,” said Puentes. “We have definitely had a more positive approach than in previous seasons, but we can still get better. As a team, we have a goal of winning the team title at districts and we know we are going to have to pull together and have a near-perfect meet to accomplish that. We have the talent to do it and a lot of young swimmers who are doing well and are looking forward to competing.”