By Rich Torres
NEW PALESTINE — Brenna Shaw isn’t one to sit idle.
Self-motivated and determined to make things happen rather than just allowing them to materialize, the New Palestine senior distance runner is always thinking forward not backwards.
Case in point this past spring, while some scaled back their training during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, Shaw didn’t alter her routine despite losing out on her junior track season.
If anything, she increased her workload, especially when it pertained to her long-term future.
Contacted by Purdue University nearly a year ago to gauge her interest in running in the Big 10, Shaw became proactive during the early summer months, and it paid dividends in her recruiting process.
“After our track season got canceled this spring, I decided that if I wanted to run in college, I should start pursuing it. I reached out to the coach at that point, and that’s when we started corresponding,” Shaw said.
Last week Tuesday, the Boilermakers offered her a spot on the women’s cross-country and track team, which she accepted on the spot over the phone.
There was no hesitation by Shaw, who has aspirations of becoming a veterinarian after her running career ends.
“I was looking for academics in a school. That was the most important thing for me because my career is the rest of my life. I want to go to vet school, so I thought Purdue would be a really good school to go for undergrad because there would be opportunities,” Shaw said.
Shaw tends to make the most out of any opportunity she’s presented with both in and out of the classroom.
When her mother, Janice, suggested that Brenna run cross country prior to her seventh-grade year, Shaw was skeptical initially, at least, until she went to her first practice.
“I remember thinking, what is even cross country? I didn’t really know what that was,” Shaw laughed. “I tried it, and here we are today.”
Where is here for Shaw?
As of right now, being ranked first in her class academically, and a member of the New Palestine girls cross-country Hoosier Heritage Conference championship team, a title the Dragons won for a third consecutive year.
Shaw and the Dragons have also captured the Hancock County team championship the past four years straight with her winning the race every time.
After last weekend’s second-place team finish by the Dragons at the Rushville Regional, Shaw can also claim the moniker of individual champion three years running.
Unbeaten this postseason individually, Shaw, a two-time cross-country state qualifier, finally added sectional champion to her accolades list, which helped secure a team title repeat for the Dragons.
“That was really cool. I guess the pieces just never aligned for me in years past at sectional, so this year to finally get that done and prove that it’s something that I’m capable of, even though it slipped through my fingers the past two years, it was pretty special,” Shaw said.
Her commitment announcement to Purdue on Twitter this past weekend was equally as significant and comforting, much like her ritualistic pre-meet yoga sessions every night before a race.
“It’s actually a big relief because it’s a lot of pressure to always have to go out there and perform well every week to show what you’re made of. Now, that I’m committed, and that’s out of the way, I can breath and focus on my other goals for my end of the season,” Shaw said.
First on the itinerary is making it out of Saturday’s Shelbyville Semistate and onward to state for a third season in a row at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross-Country Course in Terre Haute on Halloween.
As a sophomore, Shaw placed 95th at the state finals with a time of 19 minutes, 55.9 seconds. Last year, she finished 48th in 19:12.6.
A third trip to state isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Shaw, who broke Courtney Edon’s former 5K school record with a time of 18:27 and a second-place run during the HHC meet on Oct. 3.
“It’s been fantastic to watch her grow as a runner. She’s always been a great runner, pretty much from the time she got into high school. She’s always been competitive,” Dragons head coach Chuck Myers said. “This year, she’s seemed to grow even more. It’s been really special to watch her race this postseason.”
In her first-career sectional win on Oct. 10 at Mt. Vernon, Shaw posted an 18:49.4 with teammate Emma Mann, a junior, right behind her at 18:50.3.
At Rushville, her time dropped to 18:31.8, which ranks her third best of the four regional winners at this weekend’s semistate.
Shaw ran a 19:00.7 at the Shelbyville Semistate in 2019 to finish 14th overall and seventh among individuals advancing to state without a qualifying team.
In her final season, Shaw would like to see a few more familiar faces at state with her, and the Dragons could vie for the one of the top-6 qualifying team spots.
“That’s a big goal for me. I know there’s never been a team from our school that’s been to state as a team, and I really would like to be a part of the first team that goes,” Shaw said. “Also having a team with me at state, I think, would be very helpful because in years past, it’s just been me. It’s just not the same racing without your teammates.”
The 22nd-ranked Dragons (69) had three runners place in the top 11 at regional to finish behind No. 7 Franklin Central (24) and ahead of Mt. Vernon (77).
Semistate won’t get any easier with No. 5 Zionsville, No. 12 Brownsburg, Franklin Central, No. 16 Noblesville, No. 10 North Central, No. 18 Center Grove, No. 2 Carmel, No. 15 Pike, No. 20 Westfield all in the mix.
“There are a lot of good individuals this year that are from teams that will and that probably won’t advance or they’re already individual, so semistate is going to be kind of tight, I think,” Shaw said. “We’re in a really tough semistate.”
The Dragons will be full-strength, however, for the first time this postseason. Down senior Kendall Mann due to trace-contact quarantine, the senior is eligible to return for semistate after missing both sectional and regional.
Mann ran a 20:16 for 10th at the HHC meet and was one of the Dragons’ four all-county runners, placing third (20:42.17) behind Shaw.
With Courtney Study (11th at regional in 20:10.01) and Emma Mann (3rd at regional in 19:06.2) with Kendall and Shaw, the Dragons like their chances.
“That would be a huge accomplishment, if (Shaw) could lead us there. I think we have the other components to do that, but it’s going to take a good day out of everyone to make that happen,” Myers said.
“This year, (Shaw) wants to be a (state) medalist, which would be in the top 25, so that’s what she’s looking to do, and I think there’s a real possibility of that happening with the way that she’s running.”
Anything is possible for Shaw, who fuels her drive with a superstitious bagel and peanut butter and a banana followed by hype-up music before toeing the start line.
“We’re definitely going in with more confidence, knowing that we have a strong team member back. She’s a big part of our team, and we really need her,” Shaw said. “A big goal for me this year is obviously to go to state and finish higher than I have before. My sophomore year, I was 95th and then last year I was 48th. Just improving off of that is a big goal for me.”
