SLIPPERY ROCK — At Slippery Rock High these days, hurdling is a serious business.

Call them the Fantastic Four in track spikes.

Ethan Geisler and Isaac Osborne on the boys side and Elissa McCune and Angie Shaffer on the girls side will all compete in hurdling events at the PIAA Track and Field Championships in Shippensburg today.

All four are seniors and all four realize how rare it is for four hurdlers from the same school to reach the state meet.

Slippery Rock hurdle coach Tom Meling is cognizant of the rare accomplishment, as well.

"We'll probably never do it again," Meling said.

Geisler, McCune and Shaffer all made it to Shippensburg last season, but failed to get out of the preliminaries.

Osborne finished second at the District 10 championships in 2008 and failed to make the state meet.

All four won district crowns this season: Geisler in the 300-meter hurdles, Osborne in the 110, McCune in the 300 and Shaffer in the 100.

"They really did us well," Meling said. "They all definitely took their lumps early in their careers, but they were all district champions this season. That's a pretty neat accomplishment."

Their work is not done, though. All four desperately want to get to the finals on Saturday and assure themselves of a state medal.

McCune in particular is motivated.

Last year, she had a disappointing run in the preliminaries and has vowed not to let that happen again.

McCune has the third fastest seed time this season in Class AA.

"Experience is the key this year," McCune said. "What I learned from last year is to run my race in the preliminaries. It's all about getting to Saturday and finals, no matter how you do it."

Shaffer, who has the best performance in the high jump in Class AA heading into the state meet this year at 5-foot-7, has the fourth best seed time in the 100 hurdles.

Geisler and Osborne will have a tougher road to the podium. Competing in Class AAA, Geisler is seeded 22nd and Osborne 12th.

"I have to run about a second faster," Geisler said. "But I think I am capable of doing it."

All four have their own distinct styles, which made Meling's job of training them even more of a challenge.

Instead of trying to wedge a square peg into a round hole, he tailored the workout programs to the hurdler, instead of the other way around.

"I had to come up with four different workouts," Meling said. "Angie does the high jump, so you can't kill her in practice. Elissa only does the 300, so you train her more as a sprinter. They are all different."

But they share an equal amount of determination.

"With 100 meters to go, Elissa might be dying on the inside, but she won't back down and she always finishes strong," Meling said. "Ethan works as hard as anyone. Angie is fearless and Isaac — it took him a little longer to get the technique down. This year, football really helped him. I don't think he has peaked yet."

Osborne joined the football team for the first time this season and hit the weight room hard.

He found that added strength aided him in the hurdles.

"It made a huge difference," Osborne said. "I was a skinny kid last year. I'm much stronger this season."

All four credit Meling with turning them into state-quality hurdlers.

Meling has had a successful track record when it comes to the event.

Ethan's sister, Emily, was a standout hurdler, followed by Melissa Sopher, who won two state championships and Abbey Basta, who earned a state medal.

"I wouldn't be where I am today without him," Shaffer said.

Meling gave more credence to the success-breading-success theory.

"They see that success and it makes my job easier," Meling said. "Obviously, it makes you feel good to hear the compliments."

The goal for all four is clear-cut: win a state medal.

"That would be a great, great thing," Geisler said. "It would say a lot about the program, about our coaches."

"It would put us on the map," Osborne added.