This summer, we'll be recapping the 2024-25 athletic season at Emmanuel. Next up, let's go the distance with the Cross-Country Lions, led by Coach Jesse Kemmerer. The Lions came into the season with several new faces, including eight freshmen on the men's side and four on the women's. 
BY THE NUMBERS

• The Lady Lions finished the season with an 8^th place finish at the Conference Carolinas Championship.
• Gracie Woods finished 31^st overall at Conference with a time of 24:51.6 in the 6K. 
• The Men's team finished 12^th overall at the Conference Championships
• Freshman, Robbie Woods finished 68^th overall with a time of 28:05 in the 8K at Conference. 

We caught up with Coach Kemmerer on what he saw from the Lions this season! 

1. What were a few highlights from your season?
   1. During cross country, we raced at a prestigious meet called the Southern Showcase. It was hosted in Huntsville, AL and we were able to go up against DI, DII, and DIII teams from across the country. 
   2. During the track season, we had multiple individuals qualify to run at the Conference Championship including:
      1. Gracie Woods in the 5k, 800m, and 1500m
      2. Paola Rubio in the 10k
      3. MaKayla Jones in the 5k
      4. Zaylen Alexander in the 10k
      5. JB Brown in the 3k Steeple chase
          
2. What was your favorite memory of the season?
   1. We had some great moments as a team together with team members sharing their testimonies throughout the season. It was very powerful to hear where people have come from and be able to connect with them in a deeper way. 
       
   2. As for one favorite memory, we went out to eat the night before the Conference Championship and I required the team to leave their phones on the bus. It was amazing to see the interactions that took place as we waited for 20-30 minutes for a table and then we had a great time fellowshipping together during dinner. We played games like "never have I ever" while we enjoyed each other's company. It was like sitting with your family around the dinner table. Very special! 
       
3. Was there a point in your season where things "clicked" for you as a team?
   1. For the women's cross-country team, it really came together for them at Conference this past fall. We placed 8^th of 13 teams beating 9^th place by 1 point and 10th place by 2 points. It goes to show that every place counts in a cross-country race. They really ran their heart out and gave it their all that day! 
      1. For those of you who do not know how a cross-country race is scored, each runner is given a point value based on placement. If you come in 1^st you get 1 point for your team. If you place 5^th you get 5 points for your team, and so on. Like golf, the lowest score wins. The top 5 runners of each team make up the score. You take each person's placement and tally them up together to get the final score. 
      2. We scored 270 points, Young Harris scored 271 points, and Erskine scored 272 points. 
          
   2. For the men's cross-country team, it really hit them hard running their first 8k (5-mile race) in September, and they realized the work they needed to put in to run that race well. They really cracked down and started pushing each other in workouts and getting the work done. 
       
4. What are you looking forward to about next season?
   1. This season we had a huge Freshman class on the women's and men's team, so I am looking forward to them having experience coming back for a 2nd year. We have a great group of individuals, and I am excited to see how they mature and grow this next year.
       
   2. We also have a talented 2025 class coming in, and I believe with our returners and newcomers, we will make huge jumps and become a greater team here at Emmanuel! 

For more information on Emmauel University athletics, visit goeulions.com!