Delco Track & Field: Kentucky’s the place for Alexa Brown, with smiles all around

SPRINGFIELD — The smile on Alexa Brown’s face told the story of how happy the Strath Haven senior was with her performance in the shot put at the girls Delco Track and Field Championships Thursday.

The sweatshirt she sported after claiming the county title for the third consecutive year revealed her college choice.

The two-time All-Delco is headed to the University of Kentucky.

“I visited there during my spring break about three weeks ago,” Brown said. “I knew I was going there as soon as I returned to Philly. It was a long ride to find the school I thought fit, but I knew Kentucky was for me. I honestly think it’s the best choice I’ve ever made.”

Brown had a number of options. She chose the Wildcats over Penn State, Virginia Commonwealth, Connecticut, Penn and Boston University.

“I have a goal,” Brown said. “I want to be an Olympian if I possibly can. I have all the ingredients to do it, I just need somebody to cook and I feel like (Kentucky throws coach Keith McBride) will take me there. He wants me to succeed but he also wants me to be the person I am.”

In Brown, Kentucky is getting an athlete who was has put together quite the impressive career. She is a two-time All-Delco and a four-time state medalist, twice in outdoor track and twice indoor.

Only Penncrest great and county record holder Karen Shump (49-0¾) has a better throw than Brown’s best heave of 44-5½ since 2001. Brown is fourth on the county indoor list (43-7) behind Shump (52-4), Upper Darby’s Kayla Thorpe (45-7½) and Academy Park’s Janese Lynch (43-10½), according to pa.milesplit.com.

As a sophomore, she won the Delco and Central League shot put championships, finished third at the District 1 Class 3A meet and seventh at the PIAA championships. As a junior, she took third at the PTFCA indoor championships and won the Delco, Central League and District 1 championships and finished third at the PIAA championships with the best throw of her career. She claimed her second indoor state medal this past season with a second place finish at the PTFCA championships in February.

She has gotten her outdoor season off to a rousing start, winning seven of the eight meets in which he has entered. The only meet she didn’t win was the Penn Relays, where she finished sixth and was the top competitor from Pennsylvania.

Soon she’ll be headed to the SEC, which produces some of the top track talent year in and year out.

“That’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be challenged,” Brown said. “I didn’t want to go somewhere and throw something mediocre and win. I wanted someone to beat me so bad that I have to have a comeback that is incredible to win.”