Wirth Shows Worth Again for D3 Power

June 2, 2016

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half

WESTPHALIA – This past March, fewer than 2 minutes remained in Pewamo-Westphalia's Class C Regional Semifinal basketball loss to Ypsilanti Arbor Prep when junior Brenna Wirth heard a pop in her right ankle.

She fell to the floor in pain, unaware if her upcoming track and field season would be in jeopardy.

“That was one of my main concerns when it happened because I didn’t know how bad it was at first,” Wirth said. “It hurt a lot, and I heard a pop when it happened. I think I came down on a girl’s ankle and I was pretty worried.”

Wirth’s anxiety was eased by the good news that awaited her after the game. It turned out to be only a badly sprained ankle. Nothing worse.

“I got lucky I guess,” Wirth said. “But it has motivated me to push myself a little harder to get back to where I want to be.”

Wirth, one of the elite sprinters in Lower Peninsula Division 3, has fully recovered from the injury and is expected to compete in Saturday’s MHSAA Track & Field Finals at Comstock Park High School.

The Pirates have won two MHSAA girls track and field championships over the past three years and will look to go back-to-back Saturday.

Wirth will be an important component in their quest.

“We have a lot of depth, and she is part of that,” P-W track and field coach Scott Werner said. “One of the first pieces we look at is where we can utilize Brenna, and then we build around her to maximize our team points.”

She is thankful the ankle injury didn’t set her back longer than a few weeks.

“It healed a lot faster than I thought it would,” Wirth said. “I slowly began walking on it again, and I went from there. I’m excited for this weekend, and I think our team has a good shot this year again.”

Werner said Wirth has made the necessary strides to make a speedy comeback. 

“I consider her healthy now,” he said. “She has been building up and feeling as good as she has the whole year. Things are starting to come together, and we hope we can peak this Saturday and finish things off right.”

Wirth will take part in the 200 and 400, as well as join her teammates as a member of the top-ranked 400 and 800 relay teams. 

She won both individual events at last week’s Regional and is considered among the favorites to take home an individual title Saturday.

Wirth has plenty of motivation, especially in the 400, which is her signature event. She placed runner-up at the Finals as a freshman and sophomore. 

“I’ve gotten so close in the 400 these past few years, so I’m hoping this is the year,” Wirth said. “I just want to give it my best effort. I’ve worked hard all season to get to this point, so I’m just hoping to run fast for the team. My team is the end goal, everything for them.”

Wirth’s work ethic separates her from other athletes, and it has helped propel her to success on the track and in other sports.

She also competes on the cross country team and delivered a new personal record at the Finals last fall.

“She is just a real athletic kid, and every sport that she is part of she is very good at,” Werner said. “She is such a hard worker, and where she excels at the most the past few years is the 400. That’s a type of race that you have to grind through, and she’s really strong mentally. She can go in and fight through and do her thing.”

Wirth will run Saturday without her older sister, Marissa, by her side. The two shared the track and past two seasons before Marissa graduated.

They drove each other to compete at the highest level.

“We ran on the same relays, and at times I had to run against her,” Wirth said. “It’s a lot different this year, and I really do miss her. She really pushed me, and I think I helped push her a lot. We kept each other going.”

Wirth made her presence known early on in her high school career, emerging as one of the top sprinters on a team chock-full of talented runners.

“She immediately came in and was among our best sprinters of what I would consider a pretty strong sprint program the past few years,” Werner said. “She was an instant-impact-type kid. She has a real positive attitude and sets a really great tone. She’s a good leader, and she’s a part of the strong culture that we have here.”

PHOTO: Pewamo-Westphalia's Brenna Wirth (left) crosses just before Hart's Jennie Gottardo to finish second in the 400 at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Photo by Jamie Geysbeek/RunMichigan.com.) 

Tales of the Tape: Track & Field Finals

June 3, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Broadcasts of all seven MHSAA Track and Field Finals from Saturday are now available free of charge on MHSAA.TV.

Also, check out below the highlight reel including some of the most notable performances, including the following:

  • Lindsay Rudden of Marquette becoming the first girl to break the 5-minute mark in the 1,600-meter run at the Upper Peninsula Finals.

  • Great duals in the 200-meter dash between Sekayi Bracey of East Kentwood and Anna Jefferson of Oak Park in LP Division 1, and Joshuwa Holloman of Auburn Hills Avondale and Danny Bauder of Zeeland West and Josie Yesmunt of DeWitt and Taylor Manson of Lansing Waverly, both in LP Division 2.

  • Final lap kicks by Grant Fisher of Grand Blanc to win the 3,200-meter run and Karrigan Smith of St. Johns score a record-setting win in the 1,600.

  • Record-setting performances by Nolen Bright-Mitchell of Concord, Michelle Davis of Reading and Angie Ritter of Frankenmuth in the sprints and hurdles.

  • A photo finish win for Munising’s Andy Cooper in the 110-meter hurdles, one of his four victories on the day in UP Division 3.

PHOTO: Sanford Meridian relay runners complete a handoff during Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals at Comstock Park. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)