BUTLER TWP — Emily Horstman lay on the training table, her left ankle and right thigh encased in ice.

The sprinter on the Butler girls track and field team was paying the price for her perseverance.

On Friday at the Butler Invitational, Horstman was warming up for the 100-meter dash when she rolled her ankle after stepping on a hurdle.

She missed that race Friday.

She wasn't going to miss this one against Seneca Valley and North Hills on Tuesday. Not with the section title on the line.

“She treated it all weekend because she wanted this meet,” said Butler girls track and field coach John Williams. “She wanted to compete in this meet. She was crying on Friday, but the feeling today is an awesome feeling.”

Horstman won the 100, 200 and ran a leg on Butler's winning 400-meter relay team as the Golden Tornado secured its first section title since 2011 with a 94-56 win over visiting Seneca Valley.

Butler also defeated North Hills 128-22.

The Seneca Valley girls finished second in the section to advance to the team playoffs, which begin next week. The Raiders' boys — on the strength of a 93½-56½ win over Butler — also finished second in the section and advanced to the team playoffs.

It is the first time in school history both Seneca Valley boys and girls track teams have qualified for the team playoffs in the same season.

“It says a lot about the kids,” said Seneca Valley boys and girls track and field coach Ray Peaco. “The program will produce kids every year because we've had great coaches. We had a former great coach in coach (Wayne) Roccia. He set the bar for us. We have some wonderful athletes.”

So does the Butler girls, who were dominant again. That has been a common refrain this season.

Leading the charge was one of the few seniors on the team, Horstman.

“She's the senior backbone of the team,” Williams said. “People rally around her. She works so hard.”

Horstman ran a season-best 25.5 in the 200 despite her balky ankle.

“It doesn't really hurt when I run,” Horstman said. “But afterward, I feel it.”

Horstman is hoping to feel something else entirely when the team portion of the postseason concludes: the joy of a WPIAL team title.

Horstman is coming off a very successful indoor season and has parlayed that into a strong outdoor season.

“I've just been trying to push myself harder in every dual meet, especially on the blocks,” Horstman said. “We really needed the points in a meet like this today.”

And she got them for the Golden Tornado.

So did Maggie Welty, who also had a big day for the Golden Tornado with wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 as well as running a leg on the first-place 3,200 relay team.

Thrower Jena Reinheimer won the shot put and the discus for Butler.

They all helped the Tornado win the section title.

“It means a lot to everyone because no one on this team had done it,” Horstman said. “It's a big achievement and brings us all closer together.”

For Butler, though, winning the section crown is just the beginning of its lofty goals this season.

“It's just another step for us,” Williams said. “We set the goal we want to win a WPIAL championship. That's a tall order. That's no easy task.”

The Butler boys failed to make the team playoffs with the loss to Seneca Valley.

It was a winner-in, loser-out meet for the Tornado and the Raiders.

“We ended up on the short end tonight,” said Butler boys coach Rick Schontz. “We competed hard. A couple of their guys had outstanding performances and so did our guys, but they were just a little better than us tonight.”

Boys

Seneca Valley 93½, Butler 56½

Butler 112, North Hills 38

3,200 relay: Seneca Valley 9:01.9; 110 hurdles: N/A; 100 dash: Isaiah Scribner (B) 11.8; 1,600 run: Mike Kolor (SV) 4:33.7; 400 run: Alex Dixon (SV) 52.1; 400 relay: Seneca Valley 44.2; 300 hurdles: Marc Smith (SV) 41.0; 800 run: Luke Bellack (SV) 2:09.7; 200 dash: Nathan Kibbie (B) no time; 3,200 run: Razanauskas (SV) 10:06.6; 1,600 relay: Seneca Valley 9:01.9

Shot put: Trevor Darian (B) 46-2¾; Discus: N/A; Javelin: Kouns (SV) 163-8; High jump: Bacoik (SV) 6-0; Long jump: Brady Hartle (B) 21-1; Triple jump: Sloan (SV) 43-3¾; Pole vault: Nathan Baker (B) 11-0

Girls

Butler 94, Seneca Valley 56

Butler 128, North Hills 22

Seneca Valley 114, North Hills 36

3,200 relay: Butler (Erin Lemay, Maggie Welty, Emma Lemay, Liz Simms) 9:50.9; 100 hurdles: Alex Smithco (B) 16.0; 100 dash: Emily Horstman (B) 12.5; 1,600 run: Maggie Welty (B) 5:18.2; 400 run: Alexis Leech (B) 57.6; 400 relay: Butler (Maddie Glew, Emily Horstman, Odile Enslen, Shana Hoy) 50.2; 300 hurdles:Odile Enslen (B) 47.3; 800 run: Brianna Witherel (NH) 2:27.6; 200 dash: Horstman (B) 25.5; 3,200 run: Welty (B) 11:55; 1,600 relay: Butler (Emily Horstman, Shana Hoy, Liz Simms, Alexis Leech) 9:50.9

Shot put: Jena Reinheimer (B) 35-5; Discus: Reinheimer (B) 107-11; Javelin: Erin Danik (SV) 119-0; High jump: Tilko (B) 4-10; Long jump: Deveries (SV) 16-3½; Triple jump: Lizewski (SV) 35-5½; Pole vault: Taylor Weaver (B) 10-6