SLIPPERY ROCK — Gianna Bedel wasn't sure what to expect when she stared down the high jump pit at Slippery Rock University.

The sophomore had barely even practiced the event — basketball taking up so much of her time this winter — and this was her first indoor meet of the season for Slippery Rock High.

“It was pretty nerve-racking to be honest, especially since I didn't have a lot of time to prepare,” Bedel said. “I just went in knowing I wasn't going to hang my head about it no matter what happened.”

There was no reason for Bedel to hang her head.

Instead, Bedel set a Slippery Rock High indoor record, clearing 5 feet, 2 inches at the SRU all-comers meet Feb. 8.

Bedel is no stranger to exceeding expectations.

She's made a habit of it in both Track and Field and basketball.

As a freshman last spring, Bedel placed second at the District 10 meet in the high jump and then cleared 5-4 at the PIAA Championships in Shippensburg to finish fourth.

The state meet can be intimidating for first-timers, but Bedel handled the pressures with grace.

“It was just because I was so confident in my ability to jump,” Bedel explained. “I wasn't going to let it get into my head.”

Bedel used the same mentality in her lone indoor meet at SRU.

“It definitely gives me a confidence boost,” Bedel said.

Bedel said she hopes to improve upon her finish in the high jump this spring at the state meet.

“I just want to make it to states again and hopefully I can get at least one place higher,” Bedel said. “That would be great.”

Bedel has always been athletic.

She started out as a gymnast and developed a skill set that translated well to the high jump and basketball.

Slippery Rock High girls basketball coach Amber Osborn said the 5-foot-5 Bedel's leaping ability has been a particular boon to the Rockets this winter.

“She'll do something in a game and her teammates will ask, 'How did she do that?'” Osborn said. “She'll just take off. When she was starting, she'd take the opening tip-offs. Usually, we play defensive for the tip because we figure we're not going to get it. With Gianna it was a 50-50 shot.”

Bedel saw limited varsity action last season, playing in five games.

This year, she's played in every game, started a few, and is averaging five points per game.

She's had a pair of 14-point efforts and scored 12 against Oil City last week on the way to the Rockets' fifth-straight region title.

“She made a huge jump between last year and this year — probably bigger than I had expected,” Osborn said.

Part of it was out of necessity as injuries piled up for the Rockets.

Bedel was thrust into the starting lineup and didn't come off the floor in a few games.

She handled it as well as she handled the pressure of the state track and field meet.

“She went from sixth-man to a starter,” Osborn said. “She had to grow up overnight.”

Bedel also shows innate instincts for the game.

When she shoots, she spins the ball to find the seems before she lets it go — something most accurate shooters do.

She's also a dependable ballhandler, defender and uses her leaping ability to get rebounds despite her diminutive frame.

“She's very relaxed when she plays,” Osborn said. “Real smooth and relaxed.”

Osborn said she also has a way of breaking the tension with her dry humor.

“She's funny,” Osborn said. “I feel like she's mature for her age.”

Bedel was just excited to get a chance to play extensively this season for a team that went 16-6 and enters the District 10 playoffs Saturday with designs on making another run to the title game.

The Rockets play Corry at 5:30 p.m. at Farrell High School.

“We've been through a lot this season,” Bedel said, “and I think we can do well.”