It seems Angela Stella is always on the run.

In fact, it's been that way since the third grade when she learned about a race while attending St. Elizabeth Regional School in Whitehall.

And she hasn't stopped since that fateful day.

As one might expect, all that running took her places. But not in the way most people are accustomed who don a pair of Nikes for some recreational running.

Her running landed her at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Track and Field Championships in both 2013 and 2014. As a competitor on the girls track and field team at Whitehall, the senior has set three school records.

She also participated in cross country where she was consistently one of the top runners on the team.

This season was marked by a second-place finish at the District XI AAA Track and Field Championship in the 800, establishing her final record school record at 2:17.48.

She was also the captain of the girls cross country team and earned the Female Runner of the Year, capping a robust career on the trails.

With all she's accomplished, Stella has also raced to the front page of the sports section as the Whitehall-Coplay Press Female Athlete of the Year.

While still at St. Elizabeth's, her running ability caught the eye of Whitehall middle school cross country coach Scott Gillespie who was notably "blown away" by Stella's performance at the Patriot Invitational.

From that meeting, Gillespie helped guide her as she began to mature as a runner.

"He's a fantastic coach," said Stella. "He really helped me starting out."

She stayed with cross country as she entered high school and firmly believed her number one love would be as a harrier, but something happened to spoil that affection.

"I got in track and field my freshman year and it's a completely different ball game," said Stella. "When you're running cross country, you're running 3.1 miles, and you often do it alone without any people around. When you're on a track, you can't slack off because you're in front of a crowd, your teammates, and it makes for a much different atmosphere."

Track and field also afforded the chance for experimentation. Stella said she tried a number of events, including the 100, 400 and all the jumps. She finally settled on the 800 as her primary race.

Stella quickly demonstrated her acumen for the 800, missing the school record by two seconds her first year as a Zephyr. That motivated her to keep pushing, working in the off-season at CoreXcell in Catasauqua. Stella said she was intent on leaving her mark at Whitehall, and next year she was going to make sure that legacy would begin.

She gave up running the mile her sophomore year and focused on the 800. It paid dividends as she set the new school record at the LVC meet, taking third with a time of 2:24.30.

"It was probably the happiest moment of my life," said Stella. "I worked so hard. It was a big relief to achieve a goal of mine by getting that."

Still, there was work to do. She still wanted to make it to states, better her own record, and perhaps win a league or district title.

During the off-season she heard that Whitehall would have a new middle distance coach, someone who had the reputation of being drill sergeant tough. That turned out to be Ralph Yeager, and Stella said that after their first meeting, Yeager handed out index cards to everyone and asked them to list their top three goals.

"I wrote I wanted to break my record by the third meet; I wanted to hit 2:18.00, and I wanted to qualify for states," said Stella.

Stella said that Yeager pulled her aside, stating those "were pretty high goals" and she would have to work hard.

She did.

She ran a 2:24.1 in her third race, setting a new record. Then she topped it at the LVC meet, going 2:22.00.

Now, just one goal left: qualifying for states.

Stella said it was a nerve-wracking D-11 meet with the 800 postponed a number of times by lightning. When they finally took the track, it wasn't a wet surface that almost tripped her up, but a flopping shoelace that nearly derailed her dream.

"When you're racing, you can't have any distractions," said Stella. "Once you think about anything else, you're done. I just told myself to get your head back in [the race] and my mind went blank."

As she saw the leaders pull away, Stella knew it would be impossible to finish among the top two. However, when she felt another runner challenging her for third, she put on the afterburners. No one was going to deny her that prize.

"I'm getting my medal," she said.

She dropped to the track in exhaustion, unsure if she was going to Shippensburg. But then it came. It was on the board. 2:18.30 SQ.

"That was the happiest moment of my life," said Stella "I had to work so hard to get there. It's really hard to describe, that emotion."

Stella's legacy was firmly entrenched as she approached her senior season. She was the record holder in the 800, and was a state finalist. By her own admission, however, her 2014 season got off to a rocky start. Last year, she only lost once running the 800, but with districts approaching, the senior had already dropped three races. She didn't feel she was fast as she had been the prior year. The concern led her to meet with Yeager who said she was actually faster than last year.

But she didn't feel it. She felt sluggish. She was taking ice baths, trying everything imaginable as the district meet loomed. Stella felt that her senior season would be easier, she'd been through the grind, and that may have contributed to her inconsistency.

Still, she shook off any doubts and planted her foot directly on the line at the district tourney. That's when Yeager called out to make sure she was behind the line, causing her to lose concentration. A subsequent whistle sent a chill down her spine, knowing that a competitor was disqualified, but she escaped that tragic fate. In fact, she blitzed to her third school record and a return trip to Shippensburg.

"I just told myself, 'you know what to do,'" said Stella. "I stayed in second, holding off the girl from Pleasant Valley coming up behind me."

With such a storied career, Stella said she'll miss Saturday practices the most when they could guzzle chocolate milk after a hard workout. It was a time to bond, to have fun with her teammates.

"I'm going to miss everybody so much," said Stella. "I'm going to come back for some meets."

Stella will be heading to Misericordia University in the fall where she'll continue her track and field career. While that road lies ahead, the lessons she learned as a student-athlete at Whitehall will guide her future.

"If you set goals and work hard, anything is possible," said Stella.

Yes, she's all about redefining her impossible.