GROVE CITY — Kristy Woods saved her best for last.

The Grove City High School junior was sitting in third place in the Class AA discus competition before her final throw at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Friday in Shippensburg.

Then, with one big heave, Woods became the first female at Grove City to win a track and field championship.

Even when the discus fell to the ground 137 feet, 10 inches away, good enough to vault herself into first place, Woods was in disbelief.

"I was really shocked. Just shocked," Woods said. "I was speechless. I was probably speechless for hours after that. I didn't know what to think."

It wasn't until she was standing atop the podium, feeling the strap of the gold medal snug around her neck, that it sunk in.

She was the best in the state.

"It was like, 'Wow. I'm the double-A discus champion,'" Woods said. "It was an incredible feeling."

Woods followed up her gold medal performance Friday by placing second in the shot put Saturday.

The 18 points she earned at the meet helped the Grove City girls finish seventh as a team at the track and field championships.

Last season,Woods finished third in the shot put and sixth in the discus at the state meet.

She spent the summer working on her technique in a throwing circle in her yard and by watching video tape of her mechanics to try to improve upon those finishes.

"To tell you the truth, throwing is mostly about technique," Woods said. "You can be as strong as a hulk, but if you don't have good technique, it isn't going to matter."

The film study and diligent practices in her homemade circle paid off this season.

It certainly paid off inShippensburg.

Woods went into the shot put competition with designs on winning a second gold.

Her throw of 41-10 was less than three feet off the winning throw by Shante Evans of Bayard Rustin.

"Like anyone, my goal was to win a state title," Woods said. "My goal was to hit 45 feet."

Woods is an old pro at the PIAA meet now. As a freshman, she finished sixth in the shot put, despite the efforts of the more experienced competitors there to psych her out.

She said that experience came in handy this season.

"My freshman year, the other girls kept telling me I was a freshman and this was a big meet and there are a lot of people watching. They were trying to get into my head," Woods said. "I just treat it as any other meet. If you get nervous and if you let everything get it into your head, you might as well just pack up and go home."

With the state title in the discus, Woods also became the first Grove City track and field athlete to win a gold medal in 15 years.

Woods always has enjoyed the shot put more than the discus.

"It's more challenging," she said.

But now the discus is pretty popular in her eyes. That gold medal has made it a little more beloved.

"To tell you the truth, the two are pretty even right now," she said, laughing.

Woods isn't going to rest on her big weekend.

She's already back at work preparing for next season.

And she has lofty goals. Woods is hoping to add to her gold medal haul next season.

"My goals are to work hard this summer, get built up and next year, I hope to go for the state records in both the discus and the shot," she said.

The state record in the Class AA discus is 162-10. The PIAA Class AA shot put mark is 50-10¾.

For now, she can take at least a few minutes to enjoy what she has already accomplished.

"It feels nice to throw them both farther and farther," Woods said. "It's an amazing feeling."