Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Brenna Cavanaugh
School: Bentworth
Year: Freshman
Sport: Track
Cavanaugh’s week: Cavanaugh placed first in the 100-meter hurdles at the WPIAL Class AA Southern Individual Track & Field qualifiers at South Side Beaver with a personal best time of 15.50.
She also finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 49.90 and seventh in the long jump 15-7 1/4 to qualify for the WPIAL Individual Track & Field Championships in all three events.
“I was very surprised. I definitely didn’t think my time would be that fast in the 100 hurdles,” Cavanaugh said. “That gave me some confidence to get a faster time in the finals. It was a little overwhelming, but I was expecting it. I was prepared for everything.”
Up and over: Bentworth head coach Jerome Nixon faced a tough decision entering the qualifiers last week. Should he put his talented freshman in the 100-meter dash? With the event running back-to-back with the 100-meter hurdles, Nixon erred on the side of caution.
It paid off. In the preliminaries of the 100-meter hurdles, Cavanaugh set a personal best of 15.67 seconds. Less than an hour later, she beat that time by 0.17 seconds.
“I think the 100 hurdles are her best event,” Nixon said. “Her performance was impressive, especially that she knocked 0.3 off her best then almost 0.2 off of that time. That was in a matter of an hour. She’s special. It’s all about her speed.”
Cavanaugh, who began running track in the sixth grade, participated in USA Track & Field regional competitions last summer and excelled. It prepared her for the atmosphere at South Side Beaver last Thursday.
Despite not having a track to practice the hurdles on regularly, Cavanaugh used a combination of balance and flexibility to use her speed to defeat the competition.
“Her speed is the advantage she has,” Nixon said. “She has the event down to a science. I knew she would be great at it the first time I saw her run in a meet at Charleroi. She took off. It’s impressive how good she has become, especially for a younger hurdler.”
Nixon stuck with Cavanaugh in the long jump, but decided to save her in the sprints. She was happy with the decision.
“I feel very comfortable with the hurdles,” Cavanaugh said. ” I think it’s because I have the form. I never really had to work to get it. I just kind of always had it, so it’s easy to push myself. I’m not scared because I feel comfortable with it.”
Baldwin bound: Cavanaugh is now focused on attempting to win a WPIAL title and qualify for the PIAA Track & Field Individual Championships. She will need a top performance today at Baldwin High School to advance to Shippensburg.
The freshman was back at work Monday, practicing the hurdles at Chartiers-Houston. Nixon is mentally preparing her for today’s district championships.
“She’s psyched about the whole thing, which is surprising for a freshman,” Nixon said. “She’s ready.”
Cavanaugh, who attributes her experience with gymnastics to her success leaping over hurdles, is ready to show the WPIAL she is not going to settle for a trip to the championships.
“I’m very anxious. I’m so excited. I feel like I can make it to states if I work hard enough,” Cavanaugh said.
Compiled by Lance Lysowski