Lyndsey Gallagher took what she learned at the East Penn Conference meet and applied it to districts.

Gallagher hadn’t seen Stroudsburg’s strong contingent of distance runners during the regular season, but used the EPC meet as a learning experience and turned it into a silver medal in the 1600 at districts.

For Gallagher, though, it was all about getting back to states.

“I’m so excited,” Gallagher said after the event. “I just wanted to get back to Shippensburg. I got there my freshman year by chance, but this year I actually hit the qualifying time and earned it.”

Once again, the girls from Stroudsburg proved to be tough competition, but Gallagher was fully aware of their skills this time around.

The Mounties’ Allana Powlette took first in the event with a time of 5:08.06. Gallagher was second with a 5:08.87, but she finished ahead of two other Stroudsburg girls - Michelle Joyce who was third with a 5:10.65 and Amy Conboy who was fourth with a time of 5:14.65 - ruining a potential top-three sweep for the Mounties.

“I knew she was coming on me,” Gallagher said of Powlette. “I know she has a great kick so that’s why I tried to start my kick going into the third lap, just trying to get some distance on her. I was doing as much as I could going into the last 200. Ultimately I know she has a good kick so I just did what I had left and as much as I could. I didn’t know where the other girls were so I just wanted to make sure I hit the time I needed to.”

Gallagher’s now focused on states and what she wants to accomplish at Shippensburg this Memorial Day weekend.

“I’d like to have a good prelims race to get into finals,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been running my races the same way, going out hard for the first consistent split. I’ll probably try to stay with the pack at states. I just have to work on my kick and trust my training.

“I’m good enough to be out there with them. I’m going to use that to push myself to a better last lap. That’s usually everyone’s best lap, because they try to have enough left for it.”

No matter what happens, Gallagher is happy the way her senior season came to an end.

“It was a good way to end my senior year,” Gallagher said. “I’m happy with how it went even though I wanted the gold. I did what I came out to do - go to states.”

In the end, the Kids had several top-10 finishes at districts. Aja Blount took third in the discus and fifth in the shot put. Hannah Flaven was fifth in the 400. For the boys, Colin Schucker was fifth in the javelin. Zach Liggitt took sixth in the discus and was also ninth in the shot put. Morgan Heffelfinger was seventh in the long jump.

Other finishers for the Kids were: Mikayla Davidson 11th pole vault; Jovani Datis-Cordero 14th 300 hurdles; Breaunna Colonna-Dotter 16th 300 hurdles; Jared Jackson 16th 400; Jeremy Sell 16th shot put; Gallagher 19th 800; Nick Bodnar 19th 300 hurdles; Samuel Arnold 22nd 300 hurdles.