BALDWIN - Before each race, Amanda Malecky has some intestinal distress.

The nerves are too much for her body to ignore. Her stomach churns and protests. It whirls around and around, putting up a strong fight - much like Malecky does while she is circling the track.

It's how she prepares herself for the race and how Butler girls track and field coach Rod Harris knows his freshman mid-distance runner is ready to go.

She was really ready to go on Thursday during the WPIAL Class AAA championships at Baldwin High School.

Malecky won the WPIAL title in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 17.65 seconds to lead a healthy group of Butler girls athletes heading to the PIAA Track and Field Championships next week in Shippensburg.

"That girl is amazing," Harris said. "She refused to lose. She doesn't run for times, she runs for places. If anyone tries to pass her, she puts it in another gear."

Malecky has been so good this season, sometimes Harris forgets she is a freshman.

Then he sees her pre-race ritual.

"She does that before every race," Harris said, smiling. "My ritual is looking for a garbage can."

Malecky admits to being nervous quite a bit this season. She said those nerves will really kick in next week.

Just getting to the state meet, though, was something she never really thought would become a reality until recently.

Her best time before Thursday was 2:19.

"I just wanted to do well here," Malecky said. "I didn't think about winning it. I was just trying to make it to states."

Malecky is just one of a slew of Butler girls who punched their tickets to Shippensburg for the state meet, which begins next Thursday.

Kendall Butch won the high jump with a school-record effort of 5 feet, 8 inches. She might have cleared a higher mark had she not had to abandon the high jump to compete in the pole vault.

The junior did well in that event as well, clearing 11-3 to place second. Caitlin Hewitt of Greater Latrobe won the pole vault with a height of 12-7, breaking the WPIAL record set by former Butler pole vaulting star Melanie Buczko.

Butch said she didn't feel particularly strong in the high jump as the event wore on.

"Actually, I was just worried about getting the qualifying height," she said. "I didn't expect to get 5-8."

Neither did Harris.

"It's amazing," Harris said. "I never dreamed it would happen this year. I thought maybe she would get to 5-7. But 5-8? That was a huge step for her."

Tara Maxwell advanced to the state meet in both the shot put and the discus for the second consecutive season for the Golden Tornado.

The senior placed fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put, but made the qualifying distance in the later event.

Butler senior Emily Chiappini also qualified for the state meet in the pole vault, finishing fifth with a 10-9 effort that was good enough to meet the qualifying standard.

The Butler boys 3,200-meter relay team was also crowned WPIAL champs.

The team of Josh Cable, Cory Haley, James Rogerson and John Strutt won the event with a time of 8:5.51. It was six seconds faster than their previous best time.

Winning a WPIAL title was something the quartet weren't so sure would happen back in the winter when the team was assembled for the indoor season.

"We weren't very good at first," Rogerson said. "My split was 2:12."

It took until the end of the indoor season for things to come around.

Even during the outdoor season, there was some shuffling before things came together.

"They were right around 8:18, 8:19 for awhile," said Butler boys track and field coach Rick Schontz. "They've all run at different spots throughout the season. But we finally got them in the right positions."

Strutt also advanced in the 800, placing fourth.

Junior Dunn was second in the javelin and Brian McCandless fourth in the high jump to advance to the state meet for the Butler boys.

Other highlights from the WPIAL championships:

Seneca Valley sophomore Da'Lynn Mills will be busy in Shippensburg.

Mills placed third in the high jump and also ran a leg of the Raiders' 400-meter relay that just squeaked under the qualifying standard to advance to the state meet.

There were some anxious moments as the fifth-place Seneca Valley team of Mills, Aly Triscuit, Logan Gamelier and Carrie Wack had to wait to see if its time was good enough.

It was - barely. The Raiders ran a time of 49.83 seconds. The qualifying standard is 49.96.

"We were worried," said Seneca Valley coach Wayne Roccia. "But now we have another week to practice our handoffs."

Ashley Turici will get another shot at the state meet.

The Seneca Valley junior placed second in the javelin with a throw of 133-9.

Brittany Zaborowski will have to make another tough decision this week.

Who to bring with her to Shippensburg?

For the second straight season, the Mars junior is the only Planet girl heading to the state championships as she placed third in the 800 with a time of 2:19.34.

"They let me take one friend with me," Zaborowski said.

She promised there would be no rose ceremony ala "The Bachelorette."

Last year, Zaborowski won the WPIAL championship with a time that was nearly two seconds faster. During her leg of the Mars' 3,200 relay in the morning, she ran a time closer to the one she ran last season to win the title.

Zaborowski was upset that the Planets' 1,600-meter relay team missed qualifying by less than one second.

"I really wish we would have made it," she said. "We came so close."

Zaborowski said she could run much better at the state meet.

"Maybe it's better because I won't have to worry about other events," she said. "I'll be fresher for the 800."

Knoch's Kory Bottles punched his ticket to the state meet with a long jump of a lifetime.

The senior turned in an effort of 21-2 in the event, easily setting a personal best and good enough to place fourth.

"That was his best jump by seven inches," said Knoch jumping coach Curt Vasas. "He performed very well today. He's one of those kids who you really want to see do well."

Bottles has done a little bit of everything for the Knights this season. Now he gets to focus on one event in Shippensburg.

"He's done five, six, seven different events throughout the season for us," Vasas said. "Whatever we've asked him to do, he's done. I think he's capable of going into the upper 21s."

Joining Bottles at the state championships will be Knoch teammate Artie Black in the 3,200-meter run. Black, who placed fifth, made it to states after Dario Donatelli of Central Catholic scratched, moving him up to fourth and a spot in the state meet.