Lenny C. Lepola
This past weekend, former Big Walnut track and field standout and current Wittenberg University senior Brea Medlock completed her final indoor season at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Medlock qualified for the meet while running at the NCAC Championships, held this year at Grinnell College in Iowa. At the NCAC showcase, Medlock broke her own Wittenberg school records en route to first-place finishes in both the 60-meter and 200-meter races, and her 60-meter time of 7.73 seconds was good for a conference record as well.
Big Walnut High School girls track and field head coach Joe Evener said it was Medlock’s second year in a row to advance to the NCAA meet in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes.
Medlock’s preliminary effort of 7.76 in the 60-meter race was good enough to finish in eleventh place, missing the finals by .03 seconds; her prelim time in the 200-meter dash (25.40) placed ninth, missing the finals by .07 seconds.
Medlock earned her second straight NCAC Indoor Sprinter of the Year Award, and had four titles for the day, adding two more All-NCAC awards in the 4×200-meter (1:46.01) and 4×400-meter relay events, running the anchor leg both times. The Tigers broke their school record with a time of 4:00.97 in the 4×400-meter relay.
On top of the indoor school records in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4×400 relay, Medlock also owns or is part of the outdoor 100-meter dash (12.19), 200-meter dash (24.91), 400-meter dash (57.89), 4×100 relay (48.95), and 4×400 relay (3:53.69) records. Her team’s time in the 4×400 relay is also an NCAC record.
“With her four indoor conference titles, Brea is now ranked second in Wittenberg history with 10 NCAC placings, added to the 11 she has already won,” Evener said. “That makes her the most decorated track athlete in school history with 21 combined NCAC placings, and one more outdoor track and field season to go.”
Evener said Medlock has added several other awards during her time at Wittenberg.
In 2013, she was awarded the Newcomer Award by the team; in 2014, she was awarded Most Valuable in Sprints and Most Valuable Overall; in 2015, she was named NCAC Athlete of the Week for Feb. 17, Indoor NCAC Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year and Outdoor NCAC Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year; and in 2016, she was named NCAC Athlete of the Week for Feb. 16 and the 2016 NCAC Indoor Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year.
“I talked to Wittenberg’s track and field coach, coach Paris Hilliard, a few weeks ago during the Division III All-Ohio Championships at Otterbein College,” Evener said. “We joked together about how he wasn’t sure what he was going to do without Brea next season, and I countered that I was in his shoes four years ago.
“I do know exactly how Coach Hilliard feels,” Evener continued. “During her four years for Big Walnut, Brea broke or set six school records: the 4×200 relay, sprint medley, indoor 400-meter dash, indoor 4×200 relay and indoor 4×400 relay. She qualified to the indoor state meet several times, helped our team win two indoor district titles and helped our team win 297 meets, numerous district placings and numerous regional placings.”
Medlock was a 2009 state qualifier in the 4×200 relay, and helped the Big Walnut girls track and field team win 15 team titles, including the 2009 district title. Medlock holds numerous Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) placings with three OCC titles. She is ranked ninth in most points scored in district meets (47 points) and ranked seventh all time in the honor roll in career points with 578 points.
Medlock was a nine-time Delaware County champion. She won the 2012 Golden Eagle Award, the 2012 VFW Athlete of the Year, 2011 High Point Award, 2010 High Point Award and 2009 High Point Award. She was also named Athlete of the Meet four times, and was a four-year Big Walnut Scholar-Athlete.
“Brea is a spectacular young woman — hard working, smart, funny, kind and humble,” Evener said. “You can’t help cheering for her. Even opposing coaches in high school and college that I have talked to love her attitude, and cheer for her. I have had college coaches search me out just so they could tell me how Brea did during a meet. I can’t wait to see what she does during her final year in outdoor track.”
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Reporter Lenny C. Lepola can be reached at 614-266-6093
