BUTLER TWP - There was ecstasy and some agony, too.

Things were certainly good for Butler track and field stars Kendall Butch and Tara Maxwell at the WPIAL Class AAA Northern Qualifier at Butler High School Wednesday.

Things weren't quite as rosy for Seneca Valley's Kim Chapman.

Butch qualified for the WPIAL finals, which will be held next Thursday at Baldwin High School, in three events, and Maxwell placed first in both the shot put and the discus for the Golden Tornado.

"Some nice things happened for us," said Butler girls coach Rod Harris. "I'm expecting Kendall (to get to the state meet) in all three events."

Butch won the pole vault, clearing 12 feet before stopping, and also placed second in the high jump (5 feet) and the triple jump (36-4½). Her teammate, Emily Chiappini, was second in the pole vault to give the Golden Tornado a rare 1-2 punch.

Last year as a sophomore, Butch qualified for the state meet in both the pole vault and the high jump.

Maxwell was also impressive, unleashing throws of 40-8 in the shot and 121-10 in the discus. Her throw in the shot was nearly five feet better than the second-place throw and her effort in the discus was nearly 10 feet farther than the closest competitor.

"Tara really dominated today," said Butler coach Rick Schontz. "She's right where we want her to be."

As a whole, it will be busy day in Baldwin for Butler throwers.

In addition to Maxwell in the shot, the Golden Tornado also qualified Amy Achesinski and Laura Ankrom for the WPIAL finals.

Other notable performances for the Butler girls included Amanda Malecky's first-place finish in the 800-meter run and freshman Hannah Rekich qualifying in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

On the boys side, Josh Wachter continued to impress in the discus, finishing second with a throw of 153-3.

"He's added 16 feet to his throws," Schontz said. "He was in the 135 to 139 range and now he's jumped up to 153. If he can throw that well again in Baldwin - he only needs one more big throw - (he can get to the state meet)."

John Strutt was also impressive, finishing first in the 800 run for Butler.

For the most part, things went according to plan for Seneca Valley.

However, there was one notable exception.

Chapman, a senior who placed at the state meet last season in the 300 hurdles, failed to advance in the event after falling to the track following a stumble over a hurdle midway through the race.

"Kim caught a hurdle and went down," said Seneca Valley coach Wayne Roccia. "That's part of the sport. You have to do it here and you have to do it next week. She's a girl who has hurdled since she was in the seventh grade. She's always been an aggressive runner."

All was not lost for the Raiders, however. Da'Lynn Mills qualified in the high jump (first place at 5 feet), the 100-meter dash and as a member of the Seneca Valley 400-meter relay team, which set a school record with a time of 49.41.

The other members of the team are Aly Triscuit, Logan Gamelier and Carrie Wack.

The Knoch boys also had some success Wednesday.

Kory Bottles advanced in the long jump and as a member of the record-setting 400-meter relay team, which ran a time of 44.5. Other members of the team are Dave Rickard, Matt Friday and Joel Berger.

"Kory is our workhorse," said Knoch coach Wess Brahler. "We ask him to do so many things for us. We're getting our money's worth out of him. He knows what to expect."

Sarah Reppermund qualified in both the pole vault and high jump to lead the way for the Knoch girls.

The Mars girls also had a solid showing.

Brittany Morgan placed second in the 3,200-meter run and Brittany Zaborowski was third in the 800.

The qualifier is typically tricky business for the competitors.

The big question: Should they go all out or hold back for the bigger, more pressure-filled meet next week?

"Our philosophy is this is their meet," Roccia said. "From this point on, all we can do is give them advice and guidance. The rest is up to them."

While the Seneca Valley and Butler coaches preached caution and pacing to their athletes, Brahler told his competitors to leave nothing to chance.

"We're such a small school compared to some of the teams here, I told them to treat it like a state meet," Brahler said.

But Schontz said no matter what is said to the kids, the thrill of the meet overrides everything.

"That's what puts them in the upper echelon," Schontz said. "The competitiveness takes over."