Eisenhower senior Laney Belcher finished 93rd out of 250 runners in the girls A race at the PIAA cross country championships in Hershey on Saturday. Photo submitted to the Times Observer

HERSHEY — Eisenhower cross-country senior Laney Belcher just finished her rookie campaign at the PIAA State Championships on Saturday in Hershey, Pa.

Yes, you read that correctly — Belcher was a state qualifier in just her first season running for the Knights.

Belcher’s path to qualify for states was secured last week when she earned the final individual qualifying spot at the District 10 championships. She finished 15th overall, but was the 10th place individual after the qualifiers for the team event were taken out.

Belcher took the week to prepare for Hershey, and finished in 93rd place in the state of Pennsylvania out of 250 runners with a time of 22:33 for the girls A race.

Knights head coach Darlene Beach reported on Belcher,

“She got off the starting line well and did a nice job on the tough middle hill section,” Eisenhower head coach Darlene Beach said about Belcher’s run. “Laney had an excellent cross-country season. She works hard, has a strong competitive spirit, and was a great kid to have on the team.”