SLIPPERYROCK — High school track must seem like eons ago to Jill Rekich.

The Butler graduate placed eighth in the 300-meter hurdles at the PIAA meet her senior year. It was the best she ever did at the state level.

Now a senior at Slippery Rock University, Rekich is a three-event national qualifier for the NCAADivision IIOutdoor Track and Field Championships slated for May 25 to 27 at Emporia State University in Kansas.

In between, she overcame self-doubt her freshman year at SRU, a knee injury at the end of her sophomore year and subsequent arthroscopic surgery just before her junior campaign.

"Coming back for her senior year, I wondered what Jill's attitude was going to be like, how committed she was going to be,"said SRUsprints and hurdles coach Dave Labor. "She turned out to be more determined than anybody."

As a sophomore, Rekich joined Janiece Rash, Andi Rose and Kristen Jones in setting the SRUrecord time of 47.21 seconds in the 400 meter relay.

This year, she joined Rose, Rash and freshman Vera McDaniel in snapping that record with a 46.40 time, which is seventh-fastest nationally and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record.

Rekich joined Rose, senior Alison Gardner and junior Melissa Sopher in running a PSACrecord time of 3:48.09 in the 1,600 meter relay. That time is 10th-fastest nationally.

Both of those relay units are headed to nationals, becoming the first two women's relay teams from the PSACever to qualify for the national meet.

"When Coach told us that, I couldn't believe it,"Rekich said. "It's something to be proud of, considering the weather we run in compared to most other parts of the country.

"We can go faster in both events. Our handoffs can be better and the warmer weather will help us."

Besides the relays, Rekich qualified for nationals in the 400-meter hurdles, running a 1:01.98. She is seeded 21st in that event.

Rekich is part of a huge athletic family. Her father played football at Butler and SRUwhile her mother was a runner. Her brother, Aaron, ran track at The Rock and her brother, Joe, played baseball at Butler County Community College.

Her sister Hannah runs track at Butler High while her youngest brother, Matthew, is on the seventh-grade track team at Butler.

"Coming from an athletic family has helped Jill,"said SRUtrack and field coach John Papa. "Families like that are always willing to make sacrifices for each other."

But Rekich wasn't certain she wanted to continue being an athlete at SRUas her freshman year progressed.

"I thought about going to a school farther away,"she admitted. "Slippery Rock was so close to home, Aaron was here ... Nothing seemed different. I felt like I wanted to experience more change."

Her roommates changed all of that. And her roommates — Gardner, Rose and Sopher — happen to be her running mates on the 1,600 relay.

"That's one of the things that made them so good," Papa said. "They care about each other. They run for each other."

"They are the best friends I've had in my life," Rekich said.

Toward the end of her sophomore season, Rekich tripped over a hurdle and landed on her kneecap. She didn't run that summer and figured rest was all she needed.

She wound up having arthroscopic surgery in December 2004.

"She came back and ran the 4x100 relay OKthat spring because that 100-meters didn't bother her too much,"Labor said. "But she struggled in the hurdles and with the 4x4. She just wasn't 100 percent."

Rekich desperately wanted to be part of The Rock's 1,600 relay team this year.

"It's my senior season, my last shot," she said. "Coach times the splits on the relays and I knew I had to get my time down to Andi's, Alison's and Melissa's if I wanted to keep my spot."

Papa recognized Rekich's dedication in doing so during the off-season.

"Andi Rose is an all-American and extremely talented," Papa said. "But nobody beats Jill when it comes to hard work. She became a team leader that way."

Rekich set a goal at the beginning of the season to get her split-time under 15 seconds in the 400 relay.

Four weeks ago, in a home meet, she ran her leg of the relay in 14.78.

"Coach yelled my time down to me on the track and I must have jumped 50 feet,"Rekich said. "I went home and called Coach (former Butler coach Mike)Seybert, Coach (Butler's Rod)Harris, everybody."

This is Rekich's first and only trip to nationals. She's not settling for just getting there.

"We want to be all-Americans and we know we can do it,"she said.

The top eight placers at nationals gain all-American status.

An exercise science major, Rekich has a few more classes to take in the fall before she graduates. She plans on staying involved with track and field.

"I'm going to work with Hannah because I know she can get to states next year,"she said. "I'd love to be a strength and conditioning coach, to help athletes maximize their abilities."