The Emmaus girls wrestling team heads into its third season as an official PIAA varsity sport this winter.

The Hornets look to field a full line up for the first time. The team also has a returning state qualifier, a former PIAA coach of the year at the helm and it’s deepest roster since the program’s inception.

“If you build a team that has no forfeits and everyone can win at least 60 percent of their matches,” said head coach Anthony Shave, “you can go undefeated in dual matches.”

Shave, the former head coach and Parkland and 2023-24 PIAA Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year, takes over at EHS this season after guiding the Trojans to success the past few years.

The Hornets graduated two members of last year’s line up. But the team returns its top wrestler from last year in senior Olivya Kroope.

Kroope was 26-3 last season and is 39-14 in her varsity career. She won East Penn Conference and District 11 titles last winter before taking third at regionals to qualify for the state championship tournament.

She did that while battling an injury. At 100 percent this year, Kroope plans to finish strong but isn’t going to let expectations weigh her down.

“Last year I put lot more pressure on myself,” said Kroope. “This year I’m trying not to think about it as much. I’m taking it one day at a time. I bulked up a little bit and have a lot more muscle.”

When Kroope was fully healthy for freestyle nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, she got another shot at the wrestler who knocked her out of last year’s state meet. This time Kroope pinned her foe.

Shave, who worked with Kroope in the offseasons while he was coaching at Parkland, believes his top wrestler is ready for a stellar senior year.

“I sparred with her the other day and it took be by surprise,” said Shave. “She is strong and she’s doing technique that other people aren’t doing.”

Emmaus returns seven other members of last year’s line up, along with a pair of EPC placewinners in sophomore Haily Laible and senior Jocelyn Vargas. Other members of last year’s team that are back this season are juniors Danielle Rivera, Brynn Koberlein, Kadence Yanotti, Adrianna Koberlein and Petra Perez.

The team also welcomes a large number of newcomers, from all four classes.

They are senior Flor Chouloupe, juniors, Mya Escoto, Mikayla Lipp and Mia Rifas, sophomores Katherine Brion, Mia Cardona, Molly Dixon, Sarah Lysinger, Rayne Shaw and Ireland Turner; and freshmen Lillian Erbrick, Julianna Garcia, Nitzana Jamaica, Kanval Naveed, Julia Paung and Calia Shotwell.

Most of the newcomers have some or much wrestling experience. Jamaica was a junior high champ at 96 pounds last winter and could be a boost to the EHS line up in her first year on a varsity mat.

Emmaus went 8-6 overall last year and 5-5 in EPC matches. This season the team could compete with the top teams in the league and district, which have been Easton and Parkland in the first couple years of girls wrestling.

Heading into wrestle offs last week, Shave said his line up looks strong in the 100-112 range, as well as the 148-190 weighty classes. He feels the line up is solid the whole way through, but the light middle weights are where the Hornets could have less depth and more shuffling depending how things play out.

Shave said his coaching staff is an integral part of the team’s development, including Steve Kroope (varsity assistant), Scott Shotwell (junior high) and Kathryn Soto-Acuna, an EHS grad and EPC and district placewinner last year who is back out to help with the upperweights.

Emmaus opens the season Wednesday, Dec. 3 when it hosts Bethlehem Catholic as part of a doubleheader with the Hornet boys team. Girls are slated to start at 6 with the boys to follow.