KEN WALDIE NEWS

Jenna Lang packed plenty in four years at Bethel Park High School.

She ran. She excelled in academics. She cheered on the athletics teams. She participated in clubs. Plus, she worked several part-time jobs.

All these activities polished the qualities distinctive to her character. So it wasn't too difficult for the 18-year-old daughter of Jill and Dave Lang to compose a seven-page, 3,075-word essay on the subject.

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The submission earned her the Ken Waldie Memorial Scholarship. Lang will put the $16,000 stipend towards an education at Coastal Carolina University. Lang will major in early childhood education while also running cross country and track for the Chanticleers.

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The scholarship honors Waldie, who perished on Sept. 11, 2001. He was a passenger on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. A 1973 BP graduate, Waldie captained the swim team before going on to the Naval Academy where he served four years as class president.

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"I think it is really important that we honor him," Lang said. "He had to be very brave to go through something like that. We have had a lot of people die for this country and because of them we live in such a great country."

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While Lang had sat on Waldie's memorial bench, located in the foray of the gymnasium, many times during her school days, she was "unfamiliar with his entire legacy" until she pursued the scholarship. The opportunity gave her a new appreciation for his story. It also enabled her to gain some insight into herself.

 

"While by no means do I compare myself to the many great traits and accomplishments that (Waldie) possessed, I feel I share some similarities," Lang said. "I felt like I could relate to a lot of things he did because he was good at sports and he was hard-working. That's a big trait you need in life or you are not going to get very far.

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"Mr. Waldie sets the standard you want to follow, especially being a good and kind person whose face lights up a room with a smile. I want to be someone like that. I want to be known for deeds and not runs." Initially, Lang made her mark running.
 

Her career started at age 3, when she entered the Brookline Breeze 5K race with her father, who played football at Brentwood High School. By age 7, she was beating her mother, who was All-West Virginia in cross country twice and was on New Martinsville's state relay unit in high school.

Lang ran cross country at St. Bernard's Elementary School in Mt. Lebanon and raced in Hershey Track Meets until she moved to Bethel Park in fourth grade. After a successful career with the Pacer Track Club, Lang made significant strides in high school. In fact, she is the only runner in Bethel Park school history to have qualified for the Pennsylvania state championships in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field during all four years of high school.
 

Lang set school standards for the indoor 800- and 1,600-meter runs with times of 2:16 and 5:01. She also was part of the record-setting 4x400 relay unit that included Artemis Conaboy, Lauren Heh and Sadie Orie. Her best individual showings were WPIAL runner-up and PIAA seventh-place medalist in cross country as well as eighth in the state for the indoor 800 meters and WPIAL runner-up in the 800 dash and mile in outdoor track.
 

"The most exciting moment in my (running) career was breaking the 4x4 school record. It came out of nowhere when we finally got it and put our names in the history books at Bethel Park, but through running, I have experienced many things that have shaped my character. I learned to trust my instincts and my heart and that my compassion and values for others should not be put on hold, not even for a race," said Lang as she recalled a competition when a fallen runner needed assistance.

A team captain throughout her racing career, Lang demonstrated plenty of passion as she cheered for the Black Hawks at football games and basketball contests. She's balanced that activity with running since she started competitive cheer at age 6.