NEW PALESTINE — All she does is win, win, win.
Three years, three Hancock County titles.
New Palestine junior Brenna Shaw, the Hancock County Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, has spent her high school career leading the pack.
In 2019, her third straight victory in the county meet was just the beginning of a season to remember for both her and the Dragons team.
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Following county, Shaw won her second straight Hoosier Heritage Conference individual crown, helping lead New Palestine to a second straight HHC title, too.
She was runner-up in the sectional to three-time champ Brianna Lawson, a junior at Franklin Central, but the team, thanks to Shaw and four other Dragons finishing in the top 12, picked up the program’s first sectional crown since 2000.
One week later, both Shaw and New Palestine won a second straight regional championship.
It was the first time in the school’s history that girls cross country had won county, conference, sectional and regional all in the same season.
Individually, the New Palestine junior capped off the year by qualifying for the state finals. It was her second straight trip. She’s finished a county-best 48th in the state.
“It was an incredible season,” Shaw said. “It’s the first time in history to win the county, conference, sectional and regional, and I’m really proud of my team for that.”
The speed chart isn’t the only list Shaw finds herself at the top. Shaw is at the top of her class academically, too.
Coach Chuck Myers said he sees that intelligence and focus transfer over to his top runner’s performance on the course.
With the addition of her athletic and running abilities, it’s easy to see why she’s one of the county and area’s top cross country runners.
“She’s an intelligent runner,” Myers said. “She knows what she can and cannot do and has been a great kid to work with."
The coach added that his top runner has been consistent throughout the year, noting he didn’t believe she had a bad race all season.
The big stage isn’t too much to handle either. After the state meet, Shaw said being able to go to state as a sophomore was crucial in her finishing much higher as a junior.
“I placed way better than last year and it helped having the experience from the meet before," the junior runner said following the Nov. 2 state finals. "It’s a big meet and there are a lot of fans. It’s a little overwhelming. I knew what to expect. Last year I didn’t know what to expect and I was overwhelmed.”
She knew what to expect this time. The top-of-the-class runner learned from her previous experience.
“She knows what she’s going to do in a race and she doesn’t get rattled in the big races,” Myers added. “She has that ice-man quality. It’s great to see someone that young be that focused.”
After a great 2018, Shaw did not rest on her laurels. This past season, she was determined to continuing winning and improving.
Her county, conference and sectional times were all better than last season. She just missed breaking the 19-minute mark at the regional, winning in 19:00.1, finishing ahead of another one of the county’s top runners, Greenfield-Central junior standout Audrey Brinkruff, by 12 seconds.
On a sloppy course in Shelbyville, Shaw soldiered through the muck, rain and wind to finish 14th in 19:00.7 to qualify for her second state finals.
After finishing 95th in 2018, Shaw cut that spot in half, along with 43 seconds off her time, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, finishing in 19:12.6.
“I wanted to try to defend my titles from last year in county, conference and regional and qualify for state. I just wanted to do that and do better than last year (at state).”
It was a mission accomplished.
So, what’s next?
“I’m hoping next year I can make it to state again and do better than I did this year,” Shaw said.
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To see who joins New Palestine’s Brenna Shaw on the all-county girls cross country team, jump inside to Page B2.
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