Following last year’s appearance in the 100 meters at the PIAA Track and Field Championships, Amanda Crooks knew that she wanted to get back to Shippensburg this year and that meant taking the necessary steps to ensure she would be racing in the finals against the best in the state.

The freshman had just finished sixth in her heat during the preliminaries, and didn’t qualify for the semifinals. Still, she knew she had the requisite skills; she just needed a better mental outlook. Perhaps her early success was enough to convince her she could get by on talent alone, but once she saw the level of competition assembled at Seth Grove Stadium, she knew that sheer talent alone wasn’t going to get her where she wanted to be.

“It was all new to me last year, and I really didn’t understand the importance of it,” said Crooks. “It was more like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I made it.’”

She was also struggling with embracing track with everything she had. Was it ever going to be unconditional love? That feeling nagged at her that first season.

“I told myself I loved the sport, but I didn’t love it as much as I said I did,” said Crooks.

However, as they left for home after states last year, Crooks made a silent vow. She told herself that she would make it to the finals.

“I kept that with me,” said Crooks.

Crooks became one of the top sprinters in the league again this year. She kept working toward the postseason where she would meet Liberty’s Jaylyn Aminu, who finished third last season in the 100 at the PIAA Championships. In both the league and district championships, Crooks would finish second to Aminu, setting the stage for possibly another encounter in the finals at Shippensburg.

And when she posted that 12.00 to win her heat and defeat the top 3A qualifier, Dasia Pressley, it really sparked her confidence. And what had been a conversation between coach James Sebesta and her about realizing her goal of reaching the semifinals, that suddenly changed after she topped the field in that preliminary race. The focus was now squarely on the finals.

Crooks breezed into the finals, posting a 12.03 in the semis to secure a spot in the finals. She wound up finishing fourth, crossing the line in 12.15 to become Whitehall’s top girls finisher, eclipsing Danielle Smith’s sixth-place finish in 2011.

A lot of factors led to getting that medal placed around her neck. Chief among those was her mindset during the season.

“I was stronger this year, mentally,” said Crooks.

Now, she’s looking to enhance her skills and that starts with getting stronger. That’s tops on her list this offseason and she plans to achieve that by competing in summer track. She also wants to get quicker and will design a workout regimen to help her in that area as well.

However, when school rolls around in the fall, she’s still not sure if she’s ready to commit to just one sport. She sought advice from teachers, and spoke with her mother about the advantages and disadvantages of participating in just one sport. She could easily get tired of a steady diet of just track (both winter and spring), and doesn’t want that to happen. So she’s leaning toward playing basketball again this winter.

Crooks has clearly established herself as one of the top sprinters in the state. However, just a few miles away lives the best sprinter in the state. Crooks knows that in order to defeat Aminu she needs to get stronger. That’s been what’s separated the two so far and it’s prompted her to get that offseason program in gear.

In every head-to-head competition to date, Crooks has been chasing the fleet-footed Hurricane. Next year she wants a different ending.

“I want to beat her before she graduates,” said Crooks.