Jumping to state

FORT RECOVERY — While most Fort Recovery students are well into their summer vacations, Holly Brunswick is still hard at work.
Ten days after her graduation, she is practicing as she strives toward a crowning achievement to her career. She’s hoping to push herself to a career-best jump, an outright school record and a second state medal.
Brunswick’s chance comes Friday, when she will compete in the high jump at the OHSAA Division III Girls Track and Field State Finals in Columbus at The Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
“It’s awesome,” said Brunswick of the opportunity to finish her career on the state’s biggest stage. “The whole experience of being there is amazing. It feels good.”
She knows the feeling, having competed at the state finals last year.
After falling just short of the state finals by way of a tiebreaker during her freshman season, broke through in 2010 and made the most of her opportunity. She cleared the bar at 5 feet, 2 inches to earn a state medal as she tied for eighth place with Russia’s Bethany York.
“The whole atmosphere is different,” said Brunswick, who also led the FRHS girls basketball team to a state finals appearance this season. “You can just tell it’s a huge meet. I liked the atmosphere.”
After getting a late start on track because of the long tournament run in basketball, Brunswick rounded into form during the second half of the season.
Her best effort of the year came at the Mercer County meet, where she matched Fort Recovery’s school record of 5 feet, 4 inches to finish as the runner-up. She went on to a third-place effort at the Midwest Athletic Conference Championships, was third again at the Minster district and then placed fourth at the Troy regional to earn the return trip to state.
She was in the driver’s seat in the regional, clearing every height up to 5 feet, 2 inches on her first attempt. She was again the first over the bar — on her second attempt — at 5 feet, 3 inches, but was unable to make it at 5 feet, 4 inches while three others surpassed her.
Brunswick’s leap of 5 feet, 3 inches at the regional puts her in a tie for the No. 9 seed for the state finals — the top eight athletes in each event will earn state medals — along with Jackie Henney of Seneca East and Chloe Snyder of East Palestine. She was seeded 11th last season.
“High jump is such a tricky thing,” said FRHS coach Brent Niekamp. “It just seems to depend on the day and who feels comfortable with their steps and their approach. … That’s what makes it exciting.”
Brunswick is part of a loaded state finals field in the high jump as six of the nine 2010 medalists return, including defending champion and three-time medalist Jordan Moxley of Maplewood. Also in the field are Bluffton’s Lydia Guagenti (third last season), Tuscarawas Central Catholic’s Becky Russell (fourth), Rootstown’s Ashleigh Pickens (fifth) and York.
Two of Friday’s other competitors were state finalists last season as well, and half of the field recorded jumps of at least 5 feet, 4 inches in regional competition.
“It’s huge,” said Brunswick, who will also be up against MAC rivals Gina Kramer of Marion Local and Tiffany Geise of St. John’s. “I have to be competing at the top of where I can compete. I have to get to 5-4 clean if I want a chance at the podium. The fact that six of those girls are back … the stakes are that much higher.”
Brunswick and FRHS assistant coach Jackie Briscoe, who set the school record in 1998, said consistency and form will be a key success in the state finals. She’s been focusing on driving her knees, keeping her arms in the correct position, getting a good arch over the bar and snapping through to finish her jump.
She’ll most likely need to clear the bar at the first two heights — 5 feet even and 5 feet, 2 inches — on her first attempt to put herself in contention for a medal.
“Form-wise we are going to watch her clearance over the bar, make sure her hips come up, and as she snaps through make sure that the snap isn’t coming down on the bar,” said Briscoe, noting that she believes Brunswick is capable of at least 5 feet, 5 inches. “We will be very cued in to watching her feet. Last week (at the regional meet) she hit the bar three times at 5-4 with her feet … so we really worked on that this week.”
Brunswick’s work has paid off in track as well as basketball and volleyball throughout her career.
She was the Tribe volleyball team’s leading attacker this season, and helped the squad to its first sectional title since 1994 as a junior. She led the Indians in scoring and rebounding in basketball this year, especially coming on strong in the tournament to lead the team to the state final four.
And she’s been a stand-out in track through her career, in the long jump, 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay in addition to the high jump.
While Brunswick shares the high jump school record with Briscoe, she is also the FRHS record holder in the long jump at 16 feet, 6 inches. And she teamed with Kylie Kahlig, Kelsey Fiely and Abby May to set the school record in the 4x100 at 52.5 seconds last season.
Now she’s hoping to end her career by nabbing the high jump record for herself and earning another state medal in the process.
“I tell her all the time that she’s extremely fortunate. This will be her third trip to state in some form. So many people don’t get the opportunity to do it one time,” said Niekamp. “It’s just awesome to be able to go and compete. (To medal) would be a tremendous accomplishment, and she’s deserving because she works really hard at it.
“It’s really fun working with her. She’s a good kid. She deserves everything she’s gotten. She’s earned it.”[[In-content Ad]]