Foot Injury Puts Brewer's 800m Three-peat In Jeopardy

Alyssa Brewer, the two-time CIF-State champion in the 800 meters, has a foot injury and is uncertain to be able to run for a third title this weekend at Clovis Buchanan High, she said in an email.

Brewer, a senior from San Ramon California HS headed to USC, is ranked No. 1 in California and No. 6 in the United States with a 2018 best of 2:08.99. She said the injury has gotten worse to the point where she was unable to put weight on it Sunday morning. 

Over the weekend, Brewer finished second in the 800 at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions, in 2:12.91. It was the first loss in 26 races of significance during the CIF calendar (discounting trials, pre- and post-season competition) of her four-year high school career.

"This has been a tough couple of weeks," Brewer wrote in response to an emailed question about her health. "The top of my right foot started hurting a couple of weeks ago (especially when I push off) and so I took it pretty easy the week after league finals.  I felt I ran a pretty good bunch of races at the Tri Valley meet but it was pretty painful. 

"I took last week off, again resting and icing it, hoping I could get through these last two weeks.  After Friday's (NCS) trials, my foot was really hurting again but I really wanted to finish strong with no excuses.  I found during the race that I just wasn't able to sprint it in like I wanted to and had to settle for cruising it in to finish. 

"(Sunday) when I woke up, I couldn't put any weight on it and I really wonder if there is much of a possibility or even sense to go to State."

Brewer set her PR of 2:06.86 in winning the State title as a sophomore. That time ranks 21st in CA history.

As a junior, she won Arcadia (2:07.90), ran 2:07.59 to win the North Coast Section Tri-Valley Area title, and followed that with a 2:07.07 to win her second State crown. 

Brewer is one of nine girls who have won at least two 800m titles dating to the start of girls competition at the State Track & Field Championships in 1974. Ann Regan (San Jose Camden) in 1977-79, Lindsay Hyatt (Auburn Placer) from 1996-99, and Amy Weissenbach (North Hollywood Harvard Westlake) in 2010-12, are the only girls to win more than two in a row.

This season, Brewer ran her fastest time (2:08.99) to win the Dublin Distance Fiesta (March 17). She also defended her title at Arcadia (2:09.81), and ran 2:10.76 to win the Tri-Valley Area Trials on May 19. But at the NCS MOC this past weekend, she was second in the prelims in 2:17.85, and then gutted through that 2:12.91 runner-up finish in Saturday's final. 

"I'm really disappointed, as I was really looking forward to going to State and having a chance to win a third title," Brewer wrote. "I felt like I was running well and in a great position to do it.  I know I have a lot to look forward to in the future, but right now, this is extremely difficult. 

"I'm going to the doctors and I will take care of it the best I can but barring a major improvement, I don't see how I'll be able to run this weekend."

If she isn't able to compete, Brewer would be the latest in a list of top athletes from last year's State Meet medals stand who will not challenge for a title this weekend in Clovis because of injury.

That list includes:

• Claudia Lane (Malibu) - Champion 3200m
• Cristian Moore (Oaks Christian) - Runner-up 200m, 5th 100m
• Christopher Hill (Rancho Cucamonga) - 5th 200m
• Karson Lippert (La Costa Canyon) - Runner-up 400m
• Jake Grimsman (Vista del Lago - Runner-up HJ

Field without Brewer

Below is a list of the top 15 girls in the 800 meters this season ranked based off their season-best times in 2018, topped with notes about these top-ranked girls.

• Friedman placed 2nd in the Central Coast Section Finals (2:11.90) to Tomkinson (2:11.01) but hasn't touched her PR since chasing Brewer to the line at Dublin in March. Friedman ran her 2:09.08 PR for 4th at State last June.
• Stanziano was the North Coast winner (over Brewer) but needed a 3.87-second drop of her previous season best to hit that 2:10.06 PR for the win.
• Sanacore won the Southern Section Masters Meet race and was a State qualifier as a junior.
• Castillo is not running the 800 (focusing on the 1600 and 3200).
• Penn was second to Sanacore at SS Masters and is going to her third State Championships (she was 2nd as a freshman, 10th as a soph).
• McIntosh, is a three-time Sac-Joaquin Section Masters champion, who has been runner-up to Brewer at State each of the last two years. Her 2:07.62 PR came in last June's State Final. She hasn't run sub-2:10 since.
• Johnson, a sophomore, was 3rd at SS Masters behind Sanacore and Penn, ran her PR on Saturday.
• Yago and Browne, a freshman, each qualified at SS Masters. Yago's ran her PR of 2:09.66 for 7th at State last June. Browne's qualifying time is about a 1.37-second PR.