The Natural

• Breanna Messer

Press Photo by Chris Aarhus Dickinson Trinity senior Breanna Messer finishes practice on Wednesday. Messer has qualified for state in four events and recently broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles at a track meet Tuesday in Bowman.

Talk about it

Since Breanna Messer was in seventh grade, the 100-meter hurdles have been a staple in her track and field career.

“It’s probably my favorite race,” Messer said.

The Dickinson Trinity senior hasn’t veered from the path, running the short hurdles at every track meet this season. In fact, she recently broke the school record Tueday in Bowman, beating the 28-year-old mark of 15.35 set by Lori Mosbrucker.

“It was a nice day and what’s so healthy about that race for Breanna is that her and Allison Opp from Hazen are neck and neck,” Trinity coach Craig Kovash said. “They both got pushed. Both of their times are improving every track meet.”

Messer entered the meet with the top Class B time in the state at 15.72 with Opp right behind her at 15.76. The two athletes have been competing against each other for the past couple of years and every race is a fight to the finish.

“We have been battling since we started track,” Messer said. “We push each other and get our motivation from each other. It’s a friendly competition.”

Messer doesn’t venture out into the versatility that the sport of track and field has to offer. Instead, she prefers to stay close to her events and continually better her marks in an effort to be the best. She runs the 400 and 800 relays and she also high jumps.

“I haven’t done any other events,” Messer said. “I do what I can and what’s best for the team. I’m fine with that.”

Messer has qualified for state in all four of her events.

“These are her four strongest events,” Kovash said. “That’s where she’s going to be. To come out as a senior and have already qualified in four events at the state meet, what more can you ask except to place as high as you can in those events?”

In the high jump, she’s reached 5 feet, 2 inches. Lisbon’s Kali Olson won the Class B state title in the high jump last season with a leap of 5-3.

Kovash called Messer a “natural hurdler” and as much as Messer enjoys the individual competition, it’s the relays that have helped make her a well-rounded athlete, according to her coach.

That’s a philosophy that Messer agrees with.

“(In) the relays you have to be just as focused,” Messer said. “I like to say I’m a team player and relays are always fun.”

Tags: sports, preps, trinity, titans