JEFFERSON TWP — When it comes to the Carlssons, running simply runs in the family.

Mark Carlsson ran track and cross country at Kane High School from 1974-76, competing for the Wolves’ 4x800 meter relay team that finished seventh at the PIAA Championships.

His wife, the former Marcie Olscewski, was a sprinter on the track team at Knoch High School.

Now their children — senior Stefan and sophomore twins Ashlyn and Preston Carlsson — have made their presence known as runners at Knoch. All three have competed at the PIAA Championships within the past six months.

“For all three of us to experience state championship competition ... It feels good being a part of that,” Stefan Carlsson said.

Stefan reached the PIAA Track and Field Championships last May as part of the Knights’ 4 x 800 relay team, joining teammates Luke Brewer, Alex Cetnar and Phil Kletzli in running that event.

“We ran an 8:11 and finished 16th overall,” Stefan said. “Our best time was 8:07 at the WPIAL Championships.

“I didn’t start running track until 10th grade. I got a feel for it that year, then ran the relays last spring. Our 4x400 team reached the WPIAL Finals.”

Stefan’s real claim to fame is golf, where he averaged 37.6 strokes per nine holes this fall — lowest average by a Knoch golfer in 20 years. He is headed to Allegheny College and plans to join the golf team there.

“If I wasn’t so into golf, I’m sure I would have run cross country,” Stefan said.

His younger siblings did cross country and reached the PIAA Championships this fall. Ashlyn also made the state championships in track as a member of Knoch’s 4x800 relay team. The unit posted the fastest time in the county last spring.

She joined Emilee Hertweck, Tess Haverstick and Jessica Wise on that 4x800 quartet, which lost standout Samantha Logan for the state meet.

“Sam also qualified in the open 800 and we wanted to allow her to devote more attention to that event at states,” Ashlyn said. “With her, we placed second at the Baldwin Invitational and were one of the top teams in the WPIAL.

“My dad ran the 4x800, so it wasn’t hard for me to decide what track event I wanted to be a part of.”

Knoch’s girls cross country team qualified for the PIAA Championships as a unit. Ashlyn finished approximiately 80th among more than 200 runners at the state meet. She finished fifth among Knoch runners at the WPIAL and PIAA meets.

“My goal is to keep reducing my times and be able to get to states as in individual in the 800 by my senior year,” Ashlyn said.

“It’s been fun, bring able to go to states with both of my brothers. I’m proud of both of them.”

Preston Carlsson qualified individually for the PIAA Cross Country Championships by placing fifth in the WPIAL meet at Cooper’s Lake. The top 20 individual finishers in that meet qualified.

Preston wound up 33rd at the state meet with a time of 17 minutes, 15 seconds — the same time he ran at the WPIAL event. He wound up being named Butler County Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

The award was voted on by the county’s high school cross country coaches.

“He rises to the occasion when it comes to big meets,” Knoch cross country coach Wess Brahler said. “Early in the year, Preston wasn’t even our No. 1 runner. He caught fire at the right time.

“By the end of the year, everything was clicking for him.”

Brahler said Preston would have placed higher at the state meet “but he got caught in the back of the pack at the start of the race and you can’t do that.

“Still, he is going to be a very, very good runner, one of the best we’ve had at Knoch. And we’ve had some good ones,” Brahler added.

Preston runs the 1,600 and 3,200 meters for the Knights’ track team as well. He says cross country is his favorite sport.

“I feel more comfortable there and I love the challenge,” he said. “You’re always running on trails and there’s a lot more people in the race. There might be 12 runners in a two-mile track event. There’s 100 to 300 runners in a cross country race.”

Whatever the event, the Carlssons love to run.

“They grew up in the country and they’ve always enjoyed running around outside,” their father said. “There might be a few genetics there, too.”