Kayleigh Birks spent the better part of last Thursday afternoon feverishly attacking the thoughts circulating in her head, relentless thoughts that kept insisting the race she was about to run was the biggest of her career.

"I just kept saying, 'Don't worry about it. It's not a big thing. It's only another meet. Just focus on your race and you'll be fine,'" recalled Birks, a junior at Mt. Lebanon.

Despite the conversation she had with herself, she knew deep down that it wasn't just another race. It was the 200-meter dash at the WPIAL championships, and a much-coveted gold medal was within her grasp.

But as it turned out, hours of battling the persistent thoughts funneled into what Birks did in exactly 25.41 seconds.

It was a time no girl in the WPIAL had achieved this season ... a time that made Birks a WPIAL champion.

Displaying the intensity and focus her coach said is as good as any athlete's whom he's ever coached, Birks sprinted past her opposition to claim first place at the WPIAL Class AAA track and field championships at Baldwin.

Birks, who placed fifth in the 200 as a sophomore and sixth as a freshman, wasn't just successful in that event this year. She also anchored the Blue Devils' 400-meter relay that finished second and the 1,600-meter relay that came in sixth.

Birks' outstanding overall performance came as anything but a shock to Mt. Lebanon coach Ken Wentzel, who said he foresaw this happening.

"Obviously, she's talented, but through hard work her times have constantly dropped," Wentzel said. "You can't control her opponents' times, but some of those girls had leveled off, and she's gotten faster and faster."

The path Birks rode to the top of the medal stand has been somewhat unconventional. This past fall, Birks readied herself for track by running cross country, a sport commonly run by distance performers, but seldom participated in by sprinters, particularly an elite one.

"I think it really helped because of the endurance that cross country gives you," said Birks, who plans on running again this fall.

"The stamina really helped me keep going through winter and spring track."

Birks started the spring season with a bang, running to first-place finishes in the 200 at the South Hills Classic and the Tri-State Track Coaches Association championships, a meet that made Birks think she could be destined for big things.

"It was kind of a realization like, 'Hey, these are a lot of the same girls in WPIALs. And if I just keep working, I could probably finish in the top three or maybe even win [the WPIAL championship],'" she said.

Now a WPIAL champion, Birks must refocus on this weekend's PIAA championships at Shippensburg University. Birks will run preliminary heats in the 200 and 400 relay tomorrow afternoon. It'll be her third trip to the PIAA championships, after running in the same two events last year, and the 1,600 relay as a freshman.

Birks' aspirations are clear cut.

"I want to make the finals, definitely," she said. "I've gone to states for two years now and I haven't gotten [to the finals] yet. It's something that I set out for myself. And honestly, why not go for the gold. It might not be an attainable this year, but I'd be OK with anything. If I medal at states, I would be humbled."

Added Wentzel: "It's about peaking at the right time, and she really seems to be peaking at the right time."

Birks wasn't the only girls' athlete from the Post-Gazette South coverage area to claim gold at the WPIAL Class AAA championships. Upper St. Clair senior Elizabeth Kline swept the hurdles events, topping the field in both the 100- (14.61) and 300-meter hurdles (44.38).

Baldwin junior Brittney Edwards finished first in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 51/2 inches. And Elizabeth Forward junior Tori Paterra, who dumped softball to focus solely on track this spring, took top honors in the javelin (133-1).