Prep Athlete of the Week: Kira Brownell

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - With fall sports competition underway across the Cowboy State, the long high school sports-less summer is over.

Therefore, it is time for a fall batch of Prep Athletes of the Week and the first of the season is Cheyenne Central Girls Swimmer Kira Brownell.

The senior was incredible at the Laramie Pentathalon over the weekend. Starting with Friday’s relay portion, Brownell’s relay teams came in second in the 400 Yard Medley (4:27:69), the 200 Yard Back Stroke (2:06:88), and the 200 Yard Medley (1:54:81). Her 400 Free Relay team also came in third place (3:49:81)

Then in Saturday’s individual portion, the senior really shined. Kira placed first in three events. Those events were the 100 Yard Free (53.48 seconds), 100 Yard Back Stroke (1:00:34), and 50 Yard Free (24.92 Seconds). She also placed 2nd in 100 Yard Breast Stroke (1:11:11) and third in the 100 Yard Fly (1:03:89).

Kira was responsible for 48 points on Saturday, which was more total points than five of the schools at the meet were able to accumulate. She also had the best combined time of the pentathlon, finishing all five events in 4:33.74.

Cheyenne Central finished in second place on both the relay and individual days.

“I think Kira is a totally different swimmer this year,” said Central Swimming Head Coach Josh Bott. “She’s on a new level. She’s she showed she was quite a bit faster at this pentathlon and than she was last year at the pentathlon...I think all her work and effort that she put into our offseason training is starting to show right now.”

This is Kira’s second Wyoming News Now Prep Athlete of the Week selection in the last two school years. She was last named for this award on October 26, 2020. Therefore she was very impressive as a junior, but Kira said she has changed up how she approaches practices.

“During practice, my mentality has changed by just like pushing through all the sets and encouraging my teammates to push through the sets as well and just have the last 15 yards in my mind like ‘finish the race,’” said Kira. “So, I try and do that in every set that we do.”

Kira said she plans to swim in college, but she is just not sure where that will be yet. She is just the second student-athlete to be named Prep Athlete of the Week twice since Nick Kuzma took over the role of weeknight Sports Anchor in September 2020. The first athlete to do so was East’s Jake Rayl on October 12 and February 15.

Congratulations to Kira Brownell, Wyoming News Now Prep Athlete of the Week.

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