Perhaps Pleasant Valley's Mike Mitchell said it best.

"Districts is when it counts," Mitchell commented after last week's Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championships.And Mitchell would know. The senior left last year's District 11 Track and Field Championships with a silver medal in the Class 3A long jump with a state qualifying mark to punch his ticket to the PIAA Championships.Mitchell and athletes from around the Times News area will converge on Blue Mountain High School Tuesday and Wednesday looking for glory at this year's District meet, hoping to advance to next week's PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium.It is the last chance for athletes to state their case to make the "Trip to Ship."The work is done. Now it's time to perform."The biggest thing is that I feel relaxed," Pleasant Valley's Seth Slavin said after last week's EPC meet. "No matter who I go against now, I feel relaxed."When I'm out here, it's like I'm practicing. There are so many great competitors out here, and we're all just trying to push ourselves to get better for the future."Slavin's hard work has helped him garner the top seed in the Class 3A 3200, a race he won at last week's EPC meet. The senior is the second seed in the 1600.Slavin is the only area athlete to earn a top seed in Class 3A competition.In the boys' Class 2A event, Northern Lehigh's Jackie Ni is the top seed in the shot put and discus."I'm hoping to win shot put and maybe place second (in the discus), or even first if I can," said Ni. "I'd love to go to states and do well for my team."Another Northern Lehigh athlete, Jillian Olewine, is the top seed in the Class 2A long jump and the second seed in the triple jump."It feels pretty great coming out with two gold medals in my two best events," Olewine said after the league meet. "I PR'd both times, so I'm just excited about that more than the gold medal. The gold medal just adds on top of it."Olewine carries a great deal of momentum into the district meet after winning both the long jump and triple at last week's Colonial League championships.Palmerton's Chris Fredericks left the Colonial League meet with a gold medal and school record in the javelin, an event he is the top seed in at the district meet."To be the Colonial League champion is amazing," Fredericks said after his win. "I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. But once the season started coming along, I had some big throws and it kept jumping."Tamaqua's Monika Shimko will be looking for an unprecedented fourth straight district title in the Class 2A 800. Shimko won the event at last week's Schuylkill League championships.The senior also anchored the Blue Raiders' 3200 relay to a gold medal a week ago. The Tamaqua girls are the top seed in the event.Tamaqua's Brad Clemson also earned the top seed in the boys' 2A 800. The Blue Raiders grabbed the No. 1 seed in the 3200 relay as well.Alyssa Campomizzi earned the top seed in the Class 2A javelin for Tamaqua.Lehighton's Tanner Haydt is the top seed in the Class 2A 400, while teammate Aaron Bowman is on top in the pole vault.A strong run and personal best at last week's Colonial League meet cemented Palmerton's Jake Martinez as the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A 1600 with a time of 4:34.47. Notre Dame Green Pond's Sheamus Hammerston (4:40.49) is the second seed."I'm just trying to come in fresh," Martinez said. "I would really like to make a trip out to states this year. I have a great team supporting me, and I definitely think it is possible."Marian's Tina Capparell is the second seed in the 2A 800 and the third seed in the 1600.Brenna Karnish is the second seed in the Class 2A discus and the third seed in the 2A shot put.Tamaqua's Shanna Brinkworth is the second seed in the Class 2A pole vault, an event she went to states in last year. Matt Smarr is also seeded second in the boys' 2A pole vault.Palmerton's Mike Eckhart is the second seed in the Class 2A triple jump.Lehighton's Collin Haupt in the second seed in the Class 2A javelin.Jim Thorpe's Brooke Cope is the second seed in the Class 2A shot put.