Brenna Armstrong In The Midst Of A Great Summer Throwing Season In Prestigious USATF And AAU Events

Thanks to the Steeles for the photos (Above photo credited to Slippery Rock Images: aausports.org) – Above Brenna throwing the discus at the USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships

Brenna Armstrong, who will be a junior at Clarion Area this fall and competes on the North Clarion Track and Field team (with coach Doug Jackson and throwing coach Ryan Cornecki), is having an absolute summer season she will remember for the rest of her life, competing in some very elite USA Track and Field (USATF) and USA Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) competitions. USATF is the national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking.

Brenna competes with the Swift Arrow Track and Field Club headquartered in Grove City, with former Clarion Area teacher and coach Tom Wise serving as head coach and Steve Rihel as the throwing coach. And for her AAU events, she is coached by her father Matt Steele.

Brenna’s amazing run began USATF Three Rivers Association Outdoor Junior Olympics Championships, on Sunday, June 18th, at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium at Slippery Rock University. She placed first in the in Female 15-16 Year Old Division in the shot put, with a heave of 34′-10″ and first in the discus with a throw of 107′-11.75,” in Female 15-16 Year Old Division.

With that performance, she now moves on to this weekend’s USATF North East Regional Championships, in Cortland, New York, in hopes of qualifying for the National Championships in Eugene, Oregon which will be held from July 24th to 30th. She enters this meet as the number one seed in the shot put and the number two seed in the discus.

Brenna followed up her performance at Slippery Rock by competing in the USATF National Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, on Friday, June 30th, where she was second in the discus with a throw of 113′-11″ and third in the shot put with a distance of 32′-1,” in the Female 15-16 Year Old Division.

Next, it was the AAU Region 4 Championships this past weekend (Saturday, July 1st and Sunday, July 2nd), at Wittenburg University in Springfield, Ohio. On Saturday, Brenna threw the discus 100′-2″ for a second place finish. Then on Sunday she threw the shot 28′-10.5.″

Now she moves on to the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa at Drake University, after qualifying in the discus, which is scheduled for Friday, August 4th.

What makes these performances more impressive, is that Brenna has come back from a very serious injury while playing volleyball for Clarion Area in the fall and that she and her coaches have incorporated the spin technique. She was just recently given medical clearance to use in the discus. There is a learning curve issue, but using this technique should add much distance to her throws as she perfects them.

Brenna said, “Summer track has been an exciting way start to my summer and a lot of fun!”

And on working on the new techniques, “The Three Rivers Championship was my first time spinning for both discus and shot. It’s a smaller meet so it was the perfect time to try. Coach Steve is teaching me some new techniques and helping me fine tune some old ones. He’s an awesome coach and I’m really thankful for his help.”

“The USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships was such a great experience. It was so much fun competing at this level for the first time. I feel honored to be a part of it. I got to compete against girls from all across the country. I am very excited about placing in the top 3 of both discus and shotput.”

And the perks that come from the whole experience? “This summer has been a lot of fun. I’m going to camps, traveling to some new places for the meets, and meeting so many new people.

“It’s been fun working with my teammates, Jillian and DJ. We all help each other and cheer each other on. Coach Wise is awesome too! He sets us up with a lot of opportunities both to practice and to compete.”

Coach Wise had this to say, “Steve Rihel is her primary coach as he is our club throws coach. I am more the overall head coach and organizer.

“I love having Brenna as a member of our club foremost because she is a fun and enjoyable person to be around who is eager to get better at her craft.”

Coach Wise mentioned the long term relationship he’s had with Brenna’s family. “I have known her family for quite some time, having had her mother Tara and Uncle Micah in school at Clarion Area and I also trained her Uncle TJ while he was in high school.

He closed by saying, “I am really glad Brenna has been able to enjoy the success and personal bests she has had this summer with our club.”

Coach Rihel mentioned, “We’ve been working on her spin technique for both throwing events this summer. Due to her prior knee injury, she was limited to only standing throws in discus until she was recently cleared. She has learned the technique quickly and the results have shown an immediate improvement. The spin technique provides more bodily torque which generates more power for the throws.

“I started working with Brenna during the summer program (1 month). She is very dedicated and motivated to excelling in her events. She is a very coachable athlete and is willing to learn how to improve her technique. There’s no doubt that will a full year of continued strength and technical training, that she will see a significant improvement for her junior and senior years.” 

Brenna’s father Matt had this to say, “It has been a blast as a father to see, and work with Brenna this year. I truly love that she has accepted me in a coaching role when her coaches are unable to make it to some of these events. She’s easy to work with because she’s always wanting to throw a new PR, and wanting to know what she can do to keep getting better.’

Brenna’s mother Tara has high praise for Brenna’s Swift Arrow coaches and Coach Rihel’s daughter. “They both volunteer a lot of hours and really invest so much into the kids. It’s amazing! Steve’s daughter, Jillian Rihel is one of Brenna’s throwing teammates. She has been very helpful and supportive as well. Jillian graduated this year from Grove City.”

Congratulations to Brenna, her family, coaches and teammates and to all who are helping her on her quest!!!! Brenna, you make us Clarion Proud!!!!