John Raffel
Sports Scene
HOWARD CITY ― Keegan Brewster is off to an impressive start in his senior season for Tri County’s cross country team.
It’s only his second season of cross county, as he didn’t start the sport until he was a junior.
“I had done track, and I enjoyed it and I wanted to get in shape,” he said. “I had asthma and ran cross to help me overcome that. It helps a lot. I can walk up the stairs and not have problems breathing. Now I can run 10 miles and it feels great.”
For the 2010 season, Brewster just tried to get used to the sport.
“I didn’t know what was going on and didn’t try to run my hardest,” he said. “I started out running slow and then I progressed.”
Last year, his best time was 18:24. This year, he’s looking to substantially improve, to get into the 17s, and to qualify for state.
“I’d say the best part of my race is probably my kick,” Brewster said. “I have pretty decent kick speed as a distance runner. I’m conditioned to sprint.”
Right now, Brewster is working on his consistency.
“I’m trying to make my miles be as consistent as possible,” he said. “The time varies a lot between my first and second mile. I’m trying to get a good consistent pace.”
Tri County’s cross country teams have not been overpowering in the past, but that might be changing, Brewster indicated.
“I’m actually impressed with the team this year,” he said. “Our team is a pretty decent-sized.”
Getting a trophy at Byron Center in a race should help the team turn its fortunes around for this season, Brewster indicated.