SHIPPENSBURG — The emotions came flooding in on Liz Simms like a tsunami at the end of her final race in a Butler uniform.

The senior on the Butler girls track and field team was unable to contain her tears. Her eyes welled and her lips quivered as the realization that her career in a Golden Tornado uniform was over.

“It's all hitting me now,” Simms said, swiping away the wetness from her cheeks with a brush of her fingers. “You don't really think it's going to be over until it is.”

Simms, though, went out in style.

After four years competing at the highest level and enjoying good times — and enduring a few bad ones —Simms capped her career with a school record in the Class AAA 800-meter run, finishing in 2 minutes, 14.44 seconds to claim sixth place at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Saturday afternoon at Shippensburg University.

It was Simms' first individual medal at the state meet. She had won the others as a member of Butler relay teams.

In all, Simms won nine state medals in her career – five indoor and four outdoor.

“I've been so blessed,” Simms said. “I couldn't have asked for a better six years of running at Butler and topping it off with a (personal record) and shaving down my school record.

“I've worked really hard to get a medal for myself at the state meet — it's never happened, just in the relays — so it's nice finishing it off by earning an individual medal in my own race and knowing that I am among the best in the state in the (800). It's reassuring. I couldn't have asked for it to end better.”

The pending end didn't really hit Simms Friday as she was cruising to a qualifying time in the 800. It didn't pop into her head as she was warming up Saturday. And it didn't even wiggle into her consciousness while she was lining up to start.

It actually entered her mind at the strangest of times — about a lap into her final race.

“It hit me on backstretch here,” Simms said, pointing at the track. “OK. This is my last race. That's when I started to let it sink in.”

At that point Simms was staring at the back of a whole lot of jerseys.

“I counted eight girls ahead of me,” Simms said. “I said to myself, 'You have to go. You need to get on that podium. There's no way around it.'”

Simms did.

She said she wasn't necessarily surprised to be trailing so many so early in the race.

“These girls tend to go out fast,” Simms said. “I kind of went in knowing my first lap will be (65 seconds). It's OK to go out slow. You'll have more left in the tank for the final 200. So, I wasn't panicking.”

The strategy worked to perfection for Simms, who finished strong.

What also helped Simms was the fact she didn't have a relay race to run in on the final day for the first time in her career.

That fact, though, was a bit of a bummer for Simms.

“It's safe to say bittersweet is the theme for this year,” Simms said. “You can't change what happened. You can only use it to your advantage and that helped today, using the fact I didn't have other races.”

Simms now has to come to grips with the fact she won't have a whole lot to do.

Never one to sit around – Simms is a star student, was on the mock trial team at Butler that advanced to the state contest and has earned numerous scholarships for herself – Simms said she is granting herself permission to slow down.

Just a bit.

“I've had a stressful couple of months — running and school takes a toll on you,” Simms said. “I'm just going to prepare for college and I think a lot of mental healing needs to take place. Sometimes you need to slow down and appreciate what you have. A lot of track mentality is, 'Now what? Now what?' I blinked and I went from a freshman to a senior.

“It's been a busy year for me. It's been a busy life.

“The pool opens up,” Simms said, laughing, “So I'll be going there after school every day.

After that, Simms will head to Davidson College to continue her academic and track career.

Butler, though, will always be special.

“Butler is the place I grew up. I never left it. Butler will always be in my heart,” Simms said. “Even though I'm starting a new chapter, I'll never forget any of the chapters I've had before this. It's been a pretty great book.”