Many area track athletes are in the process of wrapping up their high school careers.

Make that an impressive career in the case of Brandon Heckman.

The Mars senior hurdler will be competing in the WPIAL Class AA finals today at South Side Beaver High School.

Heckman placed third in the 110 high hurdles and first in the 300 intermediate event on his home track at the Northern Qualifier last Tuesday.

"I'm just looking to work hard and do well at South Side," said Heckman. "Hopefully, I can get to states and place there, too."

No matter what he does the rest of this season, Heckman will leave Mars as one of the best hurdlers the school has seen - with his name in the record books to prove it.

Earlier this year, Heckman broke the Planets' all-time standard in the 300 intermediate hurdles with a time of 40.57 seconds. The previous record had stood since 1977, when John Harbison ran a 40.8. Heckman tied that mark last year before breaking it this season.

He also holds fourth place on the school's 110 high hurdle list with a time of 15.2 seconds.

Heckman was undefeated this season in both hurdle events in dual meets against Class AA competition, a total of seven meets. And he medaled in the Mars, Pine-Richland and MAC invitationals as well.

"When you've got a kid who has worked as hard as Brandon has, the results speak for themselves," said Mars coach Joe Cioc. "We compete in a very tough section, with teams like Freeport and Shady Side. And Brandon has worked hard to become one of the best hurdlers in our section."

But Heckman's success hasn't come without a few bumps in the road.

Shin splints began to plague Heckman early this season.

"The biggest thing is that they have really limited what I've been able to do in practice," said Heckman. "During an actual race, they don't bother me much. But I haven't gotten many full practices in, so I haven't been able to build my stamina."

His exploits on the track are the product of hard work put in over the last few years.

"During my freshman year, I spent my time just getting the form down right," Heckman said. "After that, I just worked on picking up speed."

Everything came together, as evidenced by his record-breaking performance in the 300 intermediates this season.

"I can remember looking at the school records when I was a freshman," said Heckman. "They just seemed out of reach. But I had broken some of the junior high marks, so I decided to make it a goal of mine to go after the high school marks too."

"When you look at the hurdle events, it takes a lot of speed and athletic ability to succeed," said Cioc. "And you need to put in a lot of time and be dedicated. Brandon has done both."

That dedication has also helped the senior in the classroom. Allegheny College took notice of Heckman's "A" average and offered the senior an academic scholarship.

"I'm going to Allegheny and will join both the indoor and outdoor track teams there," Heckman said.