Herald-News Athlete of the Week: Lincoln-Way Central’s Brea Counihan

Brea Counihan, a freshman on the Lincoln-Way Central girls cross country team, was voted the Herald-News Athlete of the Week.

Counihan received 213 votes, pulling away from the runner-up, Joliet Central soccer player Ricardo Camacho (61). The ballot included Lemont golfer Joey Scott and Plainfield South volleyball player Sami Lanan.

Counihan won the Joliet Central Steelmen Invitational in 18 minutes, 14 seconds, finishing more than 15 seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the 16-team race. She led the Knights to a fourth-place team finish. It was Counihan’s second win in as many varsity races, as she also took the title at the Verona Invitational on Sept. 2 in Wisconsin.

Here is Steve Millar’s Q&A with this week’s winner:

Millar: Tell me about Saturday’s race. How did that go for you and how were you able to get the win?

Counihan: The course was super fun. It was very much in the woods. The weather was perfect. It was just an overall great race, and I had a lot of fun with it. I just wanted to take the race out fast and then hold on and I wanted to have fun.

Millar: You’ve won both your races, so far. What’s it been like coming in as a freshman and winning right away?

Counihan: It’s super exciting. The team has been great, and it’s really nice to race in a high school race. High school races have a lot more people in them. It makes it easier when you’re racing with a lot more people, and there are a lot more people watching so that makes it easier for you to keep going.

Millar: Coming into this season, did you expect to have this kind of success right away? Did you think it’d be a little harder?

Counihan: I thought that going from 2-mile races to 3-mile races would be really difficult, but we trained a lot over the summer and it was very beneficial. You can definitely tell in the race how it’s paying off.

Millar: How long have you been running cross country and how did you get into it?

Counihan: I’ve been running cross country since fifth grade. I did a camp and I just fell in love with the sport.

Millar: You’re also a swimmer. How does swimming help with cross country and vice versa?

Counihan: I’m a distance swimmer. I think swimming makes me a better runner. It helps with my form and my endurance overall. Running helps with swimming for the same reasons. They go hand in hand.

Millar: What are your goals for the rest of the season?

Counihan: I want to help my team get to state and then keep getting [personal records] and getting the best times possible. Also, I just want to have fun.

Millar: What’s your favorite TV show?

Counihan: “Gilmore Girls.” I just think it’s so funny and I love all the characters in it.

Millar: What do you like to do outside of sports and school?

Counihan: I like playing board games with my family and walking my dog. I have a French bulldog named Rikki.

Millar: What’s your favorite board game?

Counihan: Sequence is my favorite.