Freshman Jenna Lang finished in second place at the WPIAL cross country championships on Oct. 30.

A week prior, Lang ran a race that is considered a pre-WPIAL race, the TSTCA Championship Meet. There were 255 girls running the race from many different school districts in the area. Lang ended up finishing in second place.

The PIAA District 7 WPIAL Championships 2020 took place on Oct. 30 in White Oak, Pa. 

With this being one of the most important races of Lang’s cross country career by far, the tension in the air was thick. 

There were 200 girls in the race, one of which was Keeley Mistuka, a senior at North Allegheny, who beat Lang at the TSTCA Championship Meet by 7 seconds.

“Going into the race I was excited yet nervous to see how I would do,” said Lang. “I wanted to get top 3.”

With a time of 18:22, Lang crossed the finish line in second, behind returning WPIAL and PIAA cross country champion junior Mia Cochran from Moon. Lang got her retaliation when she beat Mistuka by 5 seconds.

Lang’s teammate Emily Carter did not race due to an injury. 

“The whole race, me and this girl from North Allegheny were battling for second place, when I was finally able to really push and pass her, taking second to the finish line,” Lang said. “I felt really strong, but I knew she would be pushing to try and pass me. When I crossed the finish line, I was so excited with my place and couldn’t wait to go to states.”

Lang will be attending states this Saturday, Nov. 7 at Hershey, Pa.