As the youngest of three sisters, Jim Thorpe senior Brooke Cope has always faced the challenge of trying to stand out among her siblings. While some individuals in this situation may falter, give up, or fade away, the one thing Cope has done is shine.

One of the top students in her senior class, Cope has achieved excellence in numerous facets of the student-athlete lifestyle. In track and field, she has certainly become one of the area's foremost throwers, breaking barriers and accomplishing goalsHer achievements also got her noticed.On Wednesday, Cope signed her letter of intent to continue her academic and track career at the University of Pennsylvania."I'm so excited to be going there because it's such a different environment than it is here and there are so many opportunities for me that possibilities will be endless," Cope said. "Sports are going to be on a different level, with it being a Division I school, and with all the different people with different backgrounds, from different countries, and so many different areas of education that I'll be able to explore."The PIAA State qualifier will be attending the College of Arts and Sciences at Penn and will be majoring in Biology. She hopes to compete in the javelin, shot put and hammer throw at Penn."I'm excited for the challenge," Cope said. "But I'm also kind of nervous because it's such a huge transition from high school to an Ivy League school."The potential for a higher level of difficulty both academically and athletically will be there. However, look for Brooke to attack those hurdles with the same approach that has gotten her this far."Brooke's relentless," Jim Thorpe track and field coach Frank Miller said. "When she sets a goal for herself, and puts her mind to it, she's going to do everything that she needs to do in order to accomplish it."She's fierce in competition, but on top of that, she's kind. She's everything you can ask for in a student-athlete, which leads to accomplishments like getting accepted into the University of Pennsylvania."As Cope has grown up, the levels of expectations increased as well. Better throws, higher standards for state meet qualifying, constantly improving personal records, along with tougher course requirements and the ever-present desire for knowledge have all thrown curve balls her way. But as her throwing coach at Thorpe will attest, adversity has only made her strive for more."Her work ethic is tremendous," coach Eric Moore said. "I remember in her freshman year, at the district meet, she needed to throw about 125 feet (to qualify for states), and it came down to her third and final throw. After she did it, the look on her face was just ecstatic. Her family was there and just knowing that she was going to states as a freshman was great. It's just been a blessing to have her on the team."Cope is looking forward to the road that lies ahead, but also wanted to talk about those that helped her get to that stage.."I want to thank my mom (Peggy) for supporting me through everything," Brooke said. "It's been hard because she is a single mom, but she's never failed to give me the opportunities that I might not have had without her. My sister, Autumn, was there for my rough moments and kind of helped me getting comfortable with everything and she definitely pushed me to get better."Coach Miller has been great, being the head coach with some tough love and making sure I do the drills and put in the work that needed to be done in order to succeed. Also, I want to thank Coach Moore for giving me a foundation to build off of to really improve my skills."Whatever challenges, difficulties, and unknowns the future holds for Brooke, one thing she's guaranteed to do is Cope.