The word of the weekend for Butler County athletes at the PIAA Track and Field Championships will be "multitasking."

Why compete on the biggest stage in high school track and field in Pennsylvania in just one event when you can go for gold in two - or more?

That seems to be the philosophy for a slew of Butler County athletes heading to Shippensburg for the state championships that begin Friday morning.

Moniteau's Matt Schandelmeier will do the trifecta, advancing in the javelin, shot put and discus.

"Why is this happening?" said Moniteau boys and girls track coach Mark Kosick. "Flip a coin on that one. I have no idea. I think it's because all those kids are just great athletes."

Schandelmeier, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior flourished this season in all three throwing events.

It's unusual for an athlete to make his first appearance at the state track and field meet in three events in the same year.

"He's never been out there before," Kosick said. "He has a lot on his plate."

His teammates on the Moniteau girls track team, Alyssa Deal and Haley McFeaters, also will have full dinnerware.

Deal advanced in the 800, 1,600 and as a member of the Warriors 1,600-meter relay team.

McFeaters will compete in the 200, 400 and on the 1,600-relay team as well.

"It's to the point with Alyssa now that it's what do we go for?" said Kosick "You don't know. She placed in the mile last year. She can do anything."

In all, 12 Butler County athletes will compete in two or more events at the state track and field championships.

Then there is Lacey Cochran of Freeport, who is no stranger to the state meet and no stranger to competing in multiple events.

Cochran won the state championship in the 400-meter run last year and will be back to defend her title.

The senior also will compete in the 200 and possibly in the 1,600-meter relay team for the Yellowjackets.

Despite her vast success over the last three-plus seasons, Freeport coach Bill Dillen has a hard time differentiating the freshman Cochran from the one who is about to graduate.

"She's the same as she was when she was a freshman," Dillen said. "She's a very humble kid and a very hard worker. She's right where she should be right now and we're real excited to see what she can do out there."

Cochran has quite a collection of medals.

She won the WPIAL Class AA title last week for the fourth time in the 400 and also has a third, a second and last year's first-place medal displayed at home.

Cochran placed second in the 200 last year and has another crack at gold in that event.

Shane Sarver also will be tested in Shippensburg. The Freeport senior will compete in the 1,600, the 3,200 and as a member of the 3,200-relay team.

"He's really done a great job this year," Dillen said. "He set the school record in the mile and two mile."

Freeport is sending 16 athletes to the state meet.

Butler has its usual contingent of athletes heading to the state meet, and a few multitaskers as well.

Kendall Butch will compete in the pole vault and the high jump and Tara Maxwell is back in both the shot put and discus.

John Strutt will run the 800 as well as a leg of the Golden Tornado 3,200-meter relay.

For Strutt and relay teammates Josh Cable, Cory Haley and James Rogerson, getting to the state meet after a rocky start is an accomplishment in and of itself.

"A lot of weight is off our shoulders now," Strutt said. "Our goal the entire season was to qualify for the state meet and we did it."

The team ran a time seven seconds better than its previous best at the WPIAL finals to win the event. A similar drop will accomplish another team goal: run a sub-8 minute time.

"That's a big goal of ours," Strutt said. "Our goal is to get to the finals on the second day."

Butler freshman Amanda Malecky will get her first taste of state competition after winning the WPIAL title in the 800.

"I'm excited to see what she can actually do," said Butler girls track and field coach Rod Harris. "I'm very, very pleased with her. To win a WPIAL title as a freshman is amazing. Incredible."

Some other intriguing story lines that could unfold this weekend:

Mars junior Brittany Zaborowski is hoping this trip to the state meet is different from last season's journey.

Last year, Zaborowski won the WPIAL title in the 800, but she didn't get out of the qualifying heats on the first day in Shippensburg.

Last week, she placed third in the 800 in the WPIAL championships.

"I'm kind of bummed about that," Zaborowski said. "I was first last year. I didn't get past the first day at the state meet last year, so I think I can do better."

Seneca Valley sophomore Da'Lynn Mills will be one of the multitaskers this weekend, competing in the high jump and as a member of the Raiders' 400-meter relay team.

Karns City's Mark Ferguson and Steve Black will also do double duty.

Ferguson advanced in both hurdles events and Black is going in the 200 and the pole vault, where he cleared 12 feet, 9 inches to win the District 9 title.

Slippery Rock junior Abby Basta will make her first appearance at the state meet, qualifying in the 100-meter hurdles at the District 10 meet Saturday.

Basta has the fastest time in the 100 hurdles in Butler County.

The Rockets also will send their 3,200-meter relay team of Janelle Hartzell, Robin Craig, Casey McCaffrey and Allison Plummer.

Grove City senior Jim Jaskowak will make his first appearance in the state meet. He won the District 10 title in the discus with a throw of 148-6.

But Jaskowak has a big scheduling conflict. While he is throwing the discus at 9 a.m. Saturday in Shippensburg, the Grove City baseball team will be getting ready to play its first-round playoff game without Jaskowak, the team's closer.

"Yeah, it's pretty tough," Jaskowak said. "I don't want to let the team down, but this is my last opportunity to throw the discus. I've been doing track for four years and this is where I always wanted to go."