SHIPPENSBURG — Lewisburg senior Baylee Espinosa was tying her shoes not long after she was awarded her gold medal for winning the PIAA Class AA track and field championship race in the 3,200. She was getting ready for a turnaround in the girls 3,200 relay.

So, kneeling under the awards tent next to the podium, Espinosa spoke to reporters about what it meant to win state gold. The rain was steadily coming down and the temperatures were in the high 40s.

It was far from great track conditions for any athlete, but for Espinosa, she thought the weather was fitting given the season she has had. It represented the adversity she had to overcome due to medical issues in March and April leading into the season’s start.

And, just like she had to overcome those medical issues, she overcame the weather as well.

“Honestly, as far as the day goes, I was really pleased with the weather. I thought it really matched the resiliency I wanted to show,” Espinosa said. “As far as the time and stuff, I don’t really know what I was hoping for. I’m just glad I stuck through for the team. The mile, for some reason I felt I didn’t have my heart in it even though the time was dipping well. It didn’t feel like it was best performance I could have had. Same with the two mile. I think there’s things and strategy I could have tweaked, but I’m pleased with how everything unfolded. This is still such an incredible experience to get to win both of these events.”

Espinosa defended her state titles from her junior year and claimed state gold in both the Class AA 1,600 and 3,200 events this past weekend.

In the mile on Friday, Espinosa won state gold thanks to running a time of 4:53.81, beating Shady Side Academy’s Charlotte Barker by three seconds.

On Saturday in the rain and cold, Espinosa ran a 10:33.05 to win a repeat title, beating out fellow District 4 distance runner Lauren Kosek of Wellsboro, who finished in 10:35.87, and Pequea Valley’s Reagan Gates, who finished in third in 10:51.69.

Winning a state title is never easy. Doing it in the rain with low temperatures? It makes it even more challenging.

“It’s still pretty amazing I was able to get to do all this,” Espinosa said. “I think especially with everything as far as physical challenges, mental challenges through the season, to be able to push through that and be able to have these opportunities to be at the state meet? That means more than anything.”

The Green Dragon distance runner is always one to give credit to teammates and other runners in events. She did so with Kosek, noting how much the Green Hornet pushed her to run well.

“She did an amazing job,” Espinosa said. “I think when she was running, I was thinking ‘wow, she’s having a great race.’ She pushed me along and when I felt I wasn’t feeling my best, it definitely helped me to be able to still stay with it and try to get the most out of myself. That’s obviously a big goal, but getting those points for the team means a lot.”

That’s just how Espinosa is. The individual medals are great, and she’s always happy to win gold, but securing team points is her main focus. She’s displayed that team-first mentality time and time again throughout the past few seasons.

On Saturday, Espinosa dug deep in the two mile to secure her gold medal and pull away. She was in second place after the first split, just 0.04 seconds behind Kosek. She ran a 1:19.00 second split to take a narrow lead over Kosek by just 0.12 seconds. From there, it was Espinosa’s race as she never gave up that first-place spot, but Kosek pushed her and stayed with her each split.

“I was confused with myself like, ‘Baylee, why aren’t we going after the mile?’ I felt like we were trying to or I just couldn’t get a hold of it. I didn’t know why I couldn’t keep going (at faster pace), but definitely I think I was able to adapt really well from that and mid-race change my strategy to like ‘OK, I’m going to still be brave and lead this race to pull us along to a good time,’ but things weren’t going as far as I hoped,” Espinosa said. “I felt like I was having an off day, but I was glad Lauren was there to keep me going and push me to a better time and to challenge me mid-race. … That last race primarily all I could think was hearing my teammates in the stands and thinking ‘I have to win this for them.’ I want them to feel secured in last 200 meters I won it for them and not to be nervous.”

Espinosa became a four-time state champion for Lewisburg with Saturday’s two-mile victory. And, by doing so, she secured her place in Lewisburg history.

There are only four Lewisburg athletes to have ever won four or more gold medals in state competition: Espinosa, Jill Snyder (1993-96, four), Kalyn Fisher (2007-10, six) and Chris Spooner (2002-05, six). Fisher and Spooner both won three gold medals in relay competitions, meaning Espinosa and Snyder are the only two Lewisburg athletes to win four individual gold medals at Shippensburg.

Lewisburg has a long history of outstanding track and field athletes, so for Espinosa, she’s in very rare company among the best to ever run on the track.

“Honestly, that really does (set in). … I said before to myself in the race I’m still learning how to do this and it definitely means a lot to me to be able to I guess have that legacy kind of, but also everything it took to get to that point is something only my coaches and I can get to understand all the before and the parts that maybe the race resembles more as far as looking at time and stuff,” Espinosa said. “Everything it took to get there, all the moments day in and day out.”

Espinosa said that she wasn’t sure if her younger self would have envisioned, she’d be a four-time state champion. But she said she was glad she never gave up on track when health and medical issues arose and stuck it out until the end.

“I was able to stick through the hard times and still stay true to myself and my teammates and the goals,” Espinosa said.

And she graduates as one of Lewisburg’s best track and field athletes.