It took Kelsey Gaston over three years to reach her goal in cross country.

So what did the Lehighton senior do immediately after reaching that destination?

Set a higher one, of course.

As a freshman, Gaston made it her mission to one day reach the state championships. After coming up short three straight seasons, the multisport athlete accomplished the feat this past fall. And after earning the berth to Hershey, the focus quickly shifted to more than just being a part of the competition. She wanted to medal.

Those that know the talented runner weren’t surprised at the new goal and the fact that she went out and achieved it.

“I knew that I had a shot, so that made the nerves really big,” said Gaston. “I reached my goal, so I started to set a bigger goal once I reached it.

“I got to that top of the mountain (reaching states), so I had to find a bigger mountain and that was getting the medal. It was really big for me. I definitely wasn’t expecting 11th, but I’m very, very happy about getting 11th.”

Despite entering the PIAA meet seeded 27th, Gaston - as she said - took 11th to earn that coveted state medal. It also earned her the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network 2020 Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

“We’ve very proud of her,” said head coach Erica Pagotto. “We recognize her hard work and how much she has grown throughout the years, so it’s nice to see that she is being recognized, and that her hard work is paying off.

“She always had the goal of getting to states ... She came in a lot more prepared, and had a lot more miles this season. Even when track season was canceled because of COVID, she was out there running and getting her miles in.”

Part of the reason for Gaston’s extra running was her decision to join the Marines. Not only did she put in time preparing for the cross country season, but she also trained with other poolees.

In addition, the senior played on the Indians’ girls soccer team and was a member of the school’s marching band. By On top of that, she’s also an honor roll student.

“You just have to balance everything,” said Gaston. “If I had a soccer game after school, I would run in the morning at 4, take a shower and go to school, and then go to the game. Maybe I would run afterward, but eventually I would have to do an abs and upper body workout and it would take me nearly three hours. So, balancing (everything), you just have to rise and grind with it and go with the flow and try and figure things out.”

Gaston did figure out a better way to attack courses during her cross country meets. While many high school runners break away early, experience taught her a different technique.

“Other years I would start off so fast and die out,” said Gaston. “But I would say sophomore year I started trying that a little bit more, starting out slower. This year it really helped me the most. At states, I was dead last (in my heat) in the beginning. There’s a video of me and I’m dead last, and then I pick off runners one-by-one going up and down the hills. I would feel like if you start off so fast, it’s just going to kill you later.”

“Her experience showed her that when runners go out too fast, they’ll eventually drop back,” said Pagotto. “And she’ll start picking it up and catch them. I read often that high school runners, the biggest mistake they make is in the very beginning of the race. We see it often in high school where they get excited. They hear that gun and they go ...”

Gaston finished in the top 3 of every regular season race, winning two of them outright. At leagues, she placed third in a time of 19:38. Needing a top five at districts to make states, she finished third in the slightly longer race, crossing in 21:12 to earn her trip to the PIAA championships.

“Something ironic was she made it to Hershey, but she’s allergic to chocolate,” said Pagotto. “Her teammates, instead of giving her Hershey bars to celebrate, gave her Twizzlers, because it’s still made by Hershey but it’s not chocolate.”

Gaston appreciated the gesture by her teammates, and also was thankful to others for her helping her reach her goals.

“I want to thank all my coaches in all my sports, especially the Pagottos,” said Gaston. “Also my recruiter, he really motivated me, showing me it’s possible to do anything if you put your mind to it.

“And the biggest thanks go to my mom and my sister. My mom drives me from game to game, back and forth, getting me there on time, and my sister (former Lehighton state qualifier Cera) for supporting me all the way and being an inspiration for me.”