BUTLER TWP — Paige Allen reached two milestones for the price of one in her favorite event Saturday.

Competing at the Tri-State Indoor Track and Field Championships at Edinboro University, the Butler senior placed third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.97 seconds.

That effort qualified Allen for the state championship meet on Saturday at Penn State University. It also broke the school record of 8.03 seconds set by Leah Renwick in 2006. Ironically, 8.03 is also the time needed to qualify for the state event.

“She had run an 8.04 several times, but just wasn’t able to get over the hump until now,” said Golden Tornado coach Annessa Steele. “This was her last chance to do it and I’m very proud of her. She is one of the hardest working girls on the team.”

Allen also broke the school record in the 200 dash Saturday with a fourth-place time of 26.7 seconds, besting Natalie Irvin’s standard set in 2000.

“That really shocked me,” said Allen. “I had no idea I was close to breaking that record.”

But it is the 60-meter event that Allen enjoys the most, though it led to heartbreak several times over the last 13 months.

“I came within .01 and .02 seconds of qualifying for states several times last year and this year,” she said. “The 60 is definitely my favorite event, but it was frustrating. There were times when I crossed the finish line thinking I had made it, but came up just short.”

Now with a spot in the state meet in her back pocket, Allen is hoping to raise the bar at Butler even higher.

“I want to break my own record,” she said.

“I know she can make the semifinals (top 16) at states,” said Steele. “It would be great to see her make the finals and finish in the top eight.”

The winter months are a very busy time for Allen. Besides her exploits for the indoor track team, she also is a member of Butler’s competitive cheer squad. Earlier this month, she helped the Tornado place first in the state in Hershey.

“Cheerleading is my first priority when it comes to sports,” she said, “but I couldn’t ignore my passion for running track. This time of the year, I put in time for both every weekday.”

“Most kids aren’t able to double up like that in the same season,” said Steele. “They can’t make that commitment, but Paige works her butt off.”

Allen plans to continue on with either cheerleading or track in college, but still needs to decide which one.

“For cheerleading, I’m looking at either West Virginia University or Penn State,” she said. “If I decide to stay with track, I’d go to Slippery Rock. I’m still debating. I will have to go with my heart.”