Decisions, decisions, decisions.

They are a way of life.

Marian’s Tina Capparell made what turned out to be a life-impacting decision before she was even a teenager.

As a 12-year-old, Capparell decided to enter a 5K run.

“I figured I would give it a try,” Capparell recalled. “I’m someone who can’t sit still and I thought it would be fun to just go out and run.”

Like most competitive runners, once she started, there was no turning back.

“After my first run, I really fell in love with the sport,” said Capparell with that special smile of hers. “It was just something that I enjoyed doing and I’m glad it caught hold of me.”

That first 5k Capparell ran laid the foundation for an incredible high school running career.

Capparell’s cross country accolades speak volumes.

The Marian senior is a two-time Schuylkill League champion, a four-time District 11 champ, and a four-time PIAA state medalist. Last month, she capped her scholastic cross country career with a state championship.

The amazing season, which included a gold medal trifecta of league, district and state championships, earned Capparell her fourth straight Times News Girls’ Cross Country Athlete of the Year award.

That success earned Capparell a Division I scholarship to the University of Delaware.

Marian cross country coach Tom Kostic, who has been involved in the sport for more than a quarter of a century, including a long stint at now-defunct Bishop Hafey High School, called Capparell “tops of the tops.”

“I don’t like to compare runners,” said Kostic, who produced a boys team state championship during his stint at Bishop Hafey.“But she was my first individual state champion ever.”

Kostic called her a unique athlete that could have excelled at any sport she participated in, but he said he knew she was born to run the first time he laid eyes on her as a junior high runner at Holy Family Academy in Hazleton.

Capparell excelled at several sports on the youth level, and as a freshman at Marian was a member of the girls basketball team, seeing significant varsity action as a freshman.

“I just love to compete,” said Capparell. “I really enjoy basketball, and tennis was a big favorite of mine, too. But from the time I ran that first 5k, I wanted to run more and more, and eventually I just focused solely on running.”

As good as Capparell has been during her four years at Marian, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

At different points of her high school career, Capparell has had to deal with heat stroke, anemia, and a stress fracture of her right foot.

The stress fracture happened this past season at the Schuylkill League Meet in October. Despite that, she somehow found a way to win district and state championships.

“I hurt it at leagues, but I kept running,” said Capparell. “It hurt, but I ran through it. It really bothered me at districts, but I just knew I could continue no matter how high the pain.”

Kostic said that despite the injury, Capparell was determined to keep competing.

“When the foot started to bother her, we pulled some of her training back,” explained Kostic. “We went to more soft surfaces. We trained on golf courses, we ran fairways. Tina set a goal before the season, and she was determined to fight through the injury.”

Capparell’s successful career drew plenty of attention from college coaches.

She said her decision ultimately came down to the perfect combination of athletics and academics.

“I love animals and I have a dream of being a veterinarian,” said Capparell. “Delaware was the only school that offered me that had a pre-vet medicine course.”

Kostic knows Capparell’s best days are ahead of her.

“You don’t hit your peak in running until you’re well into your 20s,” said her coach. “I think she has unlimited potential in the sport. Don’t be surprised if you see her running beyond college. Her talent level is that high. She truly is phenomenal.”

It seems that when Capparell puts her mind to something, she excels.

So, how would Capparell have fared at soccer or tennis or basketball if she would have dedicated herself to anyone of those sports?

Kostic has no doubt that she would have been a star at any of them.

But she picked cross country — a decision that turned out to be life-impacting.