CHARLESTON – A little pressure brought out the best in Brenna Noon.
The Oregon senior faced a stiff challenge in the shot put at the Class 1A State Track & Field finals on Thursday, but she was able to rise to the challenge. The result was a first-ever throws championship for an OHS female.
The previous best was a runner-up finish by Tabitha Smith in 2007. Noon was fifth in the shot 2 years ago, then the 2020 state meet was canceled due to COVID-19.
“It was crazy at first,” Noon said. “I didn’t know if it was going to happen, but I did it when I needed to. My coach [Doug Engle] always says it only takes one, and he was right, it does only take one.”
Noon began the day with a throw of 11.79 meters, an effort that held up through the first two rounds of four. In the third round, however, Liberty’s Julia Hahn uncorked a throw of 12.09 meters. It drew oohs and aahs from the crowd, but Noon wasn’t rattled.
When it was her turn, she unleashed a 12.30-meter heave, or 40 feet, 4 1/4 inches.
“It really was then, like, ‘I need to do this now,’” Noon said. “[Hahn] really pushed me further into making sure I got my spot. It was helpful for me.”
Hahn scratched on her final throw. Noon had it wrapped up by then, and her final throw was 11.93 meters.
Noon noted she made a slight adjustment on her winning throw.
“I had to make sure my right foot got underneath me, and my left foot still got to the toe board,” Noon said. “Then I used all the power I had.”
It’s the first state title for a thrower coached by Engle, a hall of famer who has had nearly 100 state qualifiers – both boys and girls – in his nearly 30-year career.