Ella Lucas is the best female thrower of the discus in the state of Pennsylvania. The Warwick senior attained that status by becoming the best discus thrower she could be - as well as the best version of the young person she could be.

On Memorial Day weekend at Shippensburg University, Lucas captured the gold medal in the Class AAA discus at the PIAA Track and Field Championships. Her winning throw of 163-9 capped a marvelous senior campaign and an outstanding track and field career marked by personal growth and reaching goals.

"I knew my senior season was one last year of competing in a Warwick jersey," said Lucas. "The community of Warwick track and field is phenomenal. Everyone wants to build each other up. Being a captain, people look to you, and you're setting an example. Coming off a good junior season, I had expectations, but I just wanted to have fun. Any time you love the sport, it makes it easier to compete and practice."

Lucas' gold-medal Saturday at Shippensburg represented a peak performance resulting from consistency.

Her victorious heave came on her fifth attempt of the state competition and also established a personal best for her. Lucas' 163-9 was more than 8 feet beyond runner-up and defending state champion Elizabeth Tapper of Hempfield Area High School in Greensburg.

"I wanted to focus on my series," said Lucas. "I wanted to get a big throw early and build off it. I was happy about the one throw, but the series meant a lot to me. You can control some things. But you can't always control the gold medal."

"Ella is a phenomenal athlete, but an even better person," said Warwick track and field coach Bobby Rhoads. "She was a huge part of the positive culture on our girls' track and field team. She was super inviting, and that made a huge impact on our team."

During her senior spring, Lucas also garnered discus titles at the District Three Track and Field Championships and the Lancaster-Lebanon League meet. In April, she was the top American thrower at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

Lucas had claimed the silver medal in the Class AAA discus competition at the PIAA Track and Field Championships as a junior.

"I grew up in the sport," said Lucas, who will further her academic and athletic careers at the University of South Carolina. "I knew to get to a certain level, it was going to take hard work. You have to have a lot of motivation. At practice, you're pretty much going up against yourself. You have to be patient with yourself and be real with yourself."

With her efforts at Shippensburg, Lucas became the first Warrior in 20 years to garner a state track and field gold medal and just the fourth in the history of the program.

"The improvement throughout her career was outstanding," said Rhoads. "In her junior season, she really started to put it together and she grew leaps and bounds. This season was about becoming more consistent. The goal is always to be at your best at the end of the season."

"I think the message is 'When you find something you're most passionate about, keep working toward it. Don't stop pursuing it,'" concluded Lucas.