On May 15th, the WPIAL finals had begun. The weather was rainy and cold, and everyone was miserable.

But not Bethel’s 4×800 runners. All of them were pumped up for the race of their lives.

Bethel’s 4×800 girls had a very good chance of making States. They were second behind Kiski when they finished WPIAL qualifiers.

Each of the them were determined to go to States. If you asked anyone of their teammates, they would respond that they were so determined and ready for this race.

Bethel has also made a good impression on the other schools. After WPIAL qualifiers, many schools started noticing the threat that Bethel has become. Many even seemed to be afraid of them.

Since Bethel had become such of a threat to the competition, Mt. Lebanon had to take their runner Kelsey Potts out of the 2 mile race and put her in the 4×800 so they knew they would make it to States.

But this change didn’t even phase any of the girls. They were almost excited to have the challenge to push themselves during the race.

For Bethel to go to States, they needed to get in the top 4 overall.

The order of this relay was Courtney Conway, Amy Bogan, Danielle Hinish, and finally Karissa Coffield.

As the race started, Conway got trapped in the back of the group and a little boxed in. All of Bethel was anxious to see her far away from the front, but she worked her way to the front. By the end of her leg of the race, Conway had put Bethel in 2nd overall.

She finished her race with the time 2:20, which is a personal record for her.

Then, it was Amy Bogan’s time to race. Bogan stayed with the Mt. Lebanon girl until she passed her at in the last 200 meters, making Bethel in first place at the end of her leg of the race.

Bogan finished her race at 2:22, which is also a personal record for her.

Next, it was Danielle Hinish’s turn. Hinish stayed ahead of Mt. Lebanon’s Kelsey Potts, but was out sprinted in the last 100 meters of the race. This meant that Bethel was now in 2nd place overall.

Hinish, finished her race at 2:26, which is another personal record for the team.

Finally, it was Karissa Coffield’s turn to finish the race. A lot was weighing on her espically since she needed to finish in the top 4 to make it to States. Coffield’s first lap was excellent, but as she came around on her second, the other teams were starting to close the gap behind her.

Coffield was getting tired and everyone could see it, but when a teammate screamed, “They are right behind you!”, she went even faster. Coffield sprinted the last 100 meters, unable to catch Mt. Lebanon’s anchor, but put the team in 2nd place!

She ran a 2:25, which was another personal record for the team

These girls showed that racing is all mind over matter, and each and everyone of them deserved this accomplishment.

Great job girls and good luck at States!