There’s not much Andrew Albright can’t do in the sport of track and field.
There are a few events he’s hesitant to try, but throw the Brainerd Warriors senior into an event and it won’t take long for him to figure how out how to excel at it.
Even if he’s not winning the event, he’s putting himself in contention.
That’s been the case through the first two track and field meets this season.
At the Alexandria Quad April 11, Albright won the 110-meter hurdles, shot put and long jump to propel the Warrior boys to a first-place team finish.
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Albright opened with a 16.09 in the hurdles. He cleared the field by more than a second.
“We asked him last year to give those a try because we were short in that event,” Reuer said. “He jumped in there and he’s actually become a pretty decent hurdler. That’s probably the one event he spends the least amount of time at. I guess he’s got a knack for it. But he is a big, strong, powerful athlete. He’s able to run those pretty well. He’s got decent speed. It’s not like he’s lacking speed.”
Albright said he’s “fairly” confident with the hurdles. He said the biggest issue was getting his three-step approach between hurdles down.
“I’m able to go over the hurdles with the same leg every time now,” he said. “Right now, the biggest things for getting faster are doing sprint workouts to get quicker physically, but also going over the hurdles lower which means less time in the air.”
He’s hoping to break 15 seconds for the season.
He’s always in a battle with someone and often times it’s himself.
In the shot put, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior threw 51-foot-11 to knock off teammate and returning state meet entrant Dylan Gross who finished second.
“That’s a really nice one-two punch to have right now, and again, for Andrew, this is just the second year he’s been throwing shot,” Reuer said. “I think the technique is starting to click for him. He’s very coachable there. When coaches see that he needs to try to change this or that he doesn’t hesitate. He steps right in and does it. For him, it’s a matter of getting better technique and getting another year under his belt.”
Albright said he’s hoping to break 55 feet in the shot put and then wants to shoot for the moon and go for 60 feet.
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“I like having Dylan around because we’re pretty close,” Albright said. “I think Dylan is quite a bit stronger than I am, but it’s fun to have both of us competing and pushing each other to get better.”
Reuer credits Albright’s strength and power to his weight room habits. He said the two-sport athlete is in the weight room at 6 a.m. four days a week.
Albright then captured the long jump with a first-place leap of 20-foot-4.
“He came in back in ninth grade, kind of an early maturing kid so he was always bigger than most kids, but he was always in long and triple jump,” Reuer said. “He’s got decent enough speed where he can propel his body. It’s not a small body he’s jumping with. He’s a lot bigger than most other jumpers on the runway.
“He splits his time at practice. He works a couple of times a week on a runway then he’s doing shot put and then we get him over to the hurdles and give him a couple of days of technique work on the hurdles and that’s kind of how his week goes.”
Albright said his goal for the triple jump is 42 feet and 22 feet is the long jump goal.
Time management at practice has been a key to Albright’s progression in all of his events. But the Warriors do count on him for many points in larger team events so he’s happy to put in the work.
“I don’t mind that,” Albright said. “I hate to sound not humble, but I’m fairly good at all the events I do. I’m getting points for the team.”
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Albright didn't triple jump at Alexandria. The hope is to keep his legs fresh throughout the season. He’ll sporadically do the triple jump and will do them in bigger meets, but Albright might find himself throwing discus by the end of the season.
“He’s a field guy,” Reuer said. “He’s not a runner. He could probably jump on a relay for us and possibly run a leg there, but he’s a unique individual who can do all of these field events. He’s kind of prototype decathlete. If he would go to the next level that’s probably where he would end up going is in the decathlon.
“I think he really enjoys the sport. I think what he likes is the challenge of being a competitor individually. He’s always in a battle with someone and often times it’s himself.”
Albright just missed state in all four of his events last year. He was sixth in the 110 hurdles with a 15.82, fifth in the long jump at 20-10.5, third in the shot put at 51-2 and 10th in the triple jump at 40-2.
At the Central Lakes Conference Indoor Championship April 2, Albright placed second in the 60-meter hurdles. He finished third in the shot put with a 50-foot-8 effort. He long jumped to a first-place distance of 19-8 and placed second in the triple jump with a 40-7.25 leap.
“I’m happy with my progress so far,” Albright said, “and I'm just looking forward to the rest of the season.”
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at 855-5856 or jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jeremymillsop.
Andrew Albright
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Sport: Track and field
Position: Field events, 110-meter hurdles
Year: Senior
Age: 18
Height: 6-foot-4
Career highlight: Being named team MVP of last year’s track and field team
Other sports: Football
Grade-point average: 3.7
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Favorite class: Welding
Favorite food: Orange chicken and fried rice
Favorite movie: “The Green Mile”
Favorite website or app: Snapchat
Favorite restaurant: Panda Express
Future plans: Study welding at Central Lakes College
Favorite athlete: Ken Roczen, supercross racer
Parents: Adam and Michele Albright
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Other notable performances
Brenna Deason, girls track and field, won the 100-meter dash, pole vault and was part of the winning 4x100 relay at the Alexandria Quad.
Dillon MacLaughlin, boys track and field, won the 100-meter dash and was part of the winning 4x200 relay at the Alexandria Quad.
Thomas Ruhl, boys track and field, won the 1600 and 800 runs at the Alexandria Quad.
Hanna Caughey, girls track and field, won the shot put and discus at the Alexandria Quad.
