ROCKINGHAM — Airel Brown, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School girls’ cross country team, has been named the Week 4 Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tire and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
Brown has been a staple with the Lady Raider cross country team since she was a freshman, and her leadership and experience showed in Richmond’s first race of the fall last week in Lumberton. This is her second recognition, having also earned it for cross country during her sophomore season.
Athletic Profile
Age: 17
Birthday: Jan. 18, 2002
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Cross Country
Position: No. 1 Seed
Years on Varsity: 4 Years
Height & Weight: 5-5, 107-pounds
Experience: 5 Years
“3.2 MILES” WITH AIREL BROWN
Academics: A student at Richmond Early College, Brown is in her final year of high school, but is working toward her diploma and two-year degree. This semester, she’s taking Biology 111, English 242, Sociology 210 and History 131.
“Early College gives me more time to get my assignments done and gives me a chance to work on my time management skills,” Brown explained. “It’s an energy intensive environment, but I really like.
“So far, senior year is going great,” she added. “I have all As and that makes me really happy. I’m so excited to graduate, but it’s also bittersweet because this is my last season with cross country and that’s my favorite season.”
Brown has a 3.7 GPA and is on the “A” honor roll. During the winter, she runs indoor track (1000-meter, 2-mile, 1-mile, 4×800-meter relay and 4×400-meter relay), and also is a middle distance and distance runner on the track team in the spring.
Future Plans: With college right around the corner, Brown is thinking of pursuing a career in sociology or social work. Over the summer, she worked at a camp that saw her work closely with area kids and noted that experience made her want to help others.
She’s applying to Western Carolina University, which is a N.C. “promise school,” which only costs $500 per semester. Brown said she’ll apply to Wingate University and is also “looking at a couple HBCUs.”
Running cross country at the collegiate level isn’t out of the question, as Brown has received some interest from Methodist University and Catawba College. The biggest thing, she explained, is seeing how many of her RichmondCC credits will transfer.
Athlete of the Week Stats: Richmond’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams got their season underway last Tuesday at Luther Britt Park in Lumberton, and the Lady Raiders took first place out of the four teams. Despite confusion regarding the course’s layout, Brown would notch a second-place overall finish with a time of 22:40.
Brown would finish behind race winner Kylie Chavis from Purnell Swett High School, and Richmond saw six runners finish in the top 10 spots.
Coach’s Corner: Although first-year head coach Jessica Covington has only been Brown’s coach for a couple of months, she’s seen the impact the No. 1 senior makes on the team and expects her to continue it throughout her last season.
“Airel is an exceptional athlete and student,” Covington noted. “She is a born leader and is always optimistic and encouraging to teammates. She is what any coach would dream of having on their team and leads the girls with her running time and positive leadership.
“Airel is determined to do her best every day and strives to improve every practice,” she added. “She keeps up with the boys and pushes everyone to finish strong.”
Raider Video Chats: Airel Brown, Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In her video, Brown discusses her mentality as a runner and participates in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment.
Click photo for video.
