SHIPPENSBURG — Maura Kimmel held her breath for what seemed like an eternity.

“I don't think anything in my life was more nerve-racking than listening for her final distance,” Kimmel said.

But when the distance of Hickory sophomore Tori McKinley's final discus throw was announced, Kimmel could exhale.

As a state champion.

Kimmel, a Moniteau senior, threw 146 feet, 7 inches on her second-to-last throw to win the Class AA discus title Friday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.

“We were going back and forth the entire time,” Kimmel said. “I'd imagine it was interesting to watch because it went from, 'OK, she's behind me now,' to, 'OK, I know I need to do better.'”

It was a stark contrast from last year when Kimmel barely made the discus finals and didn't place as the pressure got to her.

This year, Kimmel was able to channel that pressure into farther and farther throws.

“Last year was just miserable,” Kimmel said. “I threw the shot 36 feet maybe — I don't know because I blocked it out almost immediately. In the discus, each throw was bad and I didn't even medal. So, this year worked out pretty good.”

Moniteau throwing coach Ryan Protzman told Kimmel to take a nice, safe throw to get a mark good enough to get into the finals.

Kimmel said she usually does poorly when her coach instructs her to do that.

“I usually fault or something,” Kimmel said.

This time was different.

She threw 140-8 to easily secure a place in the finals.

“When she hit that one, I knew she was going to have a good day,” Protzman said. “She had five more throws to really open it up and go after it.”

And Kimmel did, breaking her own school record in the process.

“Two years ago she qualified for states and this was her goal,” Protzman said. “I told her she was competing against the best throwers in the state and that she was one of them.”

Protzman said Kimmel's competition in some big meets this year, including the prestigious Penn Relays, helped her here at the state meet.

“I tried to get her into every possible big meet I could,” Protzman said. “The Penn Relays were the biggest. I told her after that, after competing against not only the best in the country, but from around the world, that the state meet would be a big atmosphere, but nothing she couldn't handle.”

Protzman also had Kimmel wear a hooded sweatshirt in practice all week in preparation for the stifling heat here this weekend.

“I think the heat is getting to a lot of people,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel will have to beat the heat one more time this weekend.

She will try for a state championship in the shot put Saturday morning.

“I had a couple of hours to celebrate (the discus title),” Kimmel said. “But now I'm focused on the shot put.”

Other notable performances from Butler County area girls athletes at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Friday:

Kimmel wasn't the only Moniteau thrower to have a big day.

Sophomore Cambrie Campbell threw 140-7 in the Class AA javelin to finish third.

Her previous best this season was 121-7.

In the process, Cambell shattered the school record of 129 feet held by Stephanie McCall.

“She's really good at turning nerves into adrenalin with a flick of a switch,” Protzman said. “When the javelin left her hand, I was like, 'Wow, that's a good throw.' It was awesome to see and this is just the first year she's thrown the javelin.

Freeport senior Zoe Pawlak finished sixth in the same event with a throw of 126-8.

Slippery Rock freshman Emma McDermott placed 11th in the Class AAA triple jump, but set a school record in the process with a leap of 37-¼.

Butler senior sprinter Emily Horstman is seeded fourth in the Class AA 100-meter dash heading into Saturday. She ran a time of 12.38 seconds in the preliminaries.