Decisions, decisions.

With the PIAA Track and Field Championships set to begin in two days, athletes will begin focusing on their respective events.

Some, however, will be taking on the challenge of multiple events — at least for now.

Following the district championships, schools need to let track officials know before they leave that evening which events the qualifiers will compete in and which they will drop out.

It's tough to qualify for the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 at the district level and even harder to do all three at Shippensburg University.

Butler's Danica Snyder and Freeport's Derek Durand are two examples of this year's group who will try do more than one event.

Snyder finished fifth in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs at last Thursday's WPIAL Class AA championships. Her times were good enough to qualify, but both at states will be a daunting task.

Durand qualified in the 110 hurdles (second at WPIALs), 300 hurdles (third) and long jump (fourth). He scratched in the high jump.

“After the WPIAL meet I talked to Danica about what she wanted to do,” said Butler coach Annessa Steele. “I said ‘you're a senior and it's your body.' She said she could handle it.

“She can run the (1,600) Friday, then they'll do the (3,200) first thing Saturday. She'll know Friday if she's going to get a medal. She should still be pretty fresh.”

For Durand, he's had a huge senior year, earning three individual medals at the WPIAL Class AA championships and will be trying his hand at adding three state medals to his haul.

“I kinda wish I was able to make it to states last year, just to get the feeling and be more prepared for this,” Durand said. “I don't know what to expect, but it should be exciting.

“When I run, I block everything out. It's just me and the uniform. That's about it. I'll talk to my coaches after and they'll tell me what I did and need to do,” Durand added.

“(Durand) had good times earlier in the season so he can do it,” said Freeport coach Bill Dillen. “He's a good athlete. At the beginning of the year, I thought he could qualify in three events for sure.”

In all, 59 athletes will be competing from Butler County area schools while a few more will go as alternates in case an athlete chooses to scratch to focus on another race.

Freeport will take 17 boys and girls — including one alternate in the 1,600 relay) while Grove City will have 12 and Butler 10 — including nine girls — to lead the local contingent.

By comparison, Knoch has qualified only its girls 1,600-meter relay quartet: Tess Haverstick, Samantha Logan, Jamie Mahan and Jessica Wise.

Also competing will be Sewickley Academy's Caitlin Bungo, an Adams Township resident, who will compete in the Class AA girls 800 (WPIAL champion) and 1,600 (runner-up) and Shady Side Academy senior Anne Marie Billot of Penn Township, who will compete in the Class AA girls 3,200 relay.