Oakley quickly running into the spotlight

By Brent New for DyeStat

When Grandview's Brie Oakley arrived in Arizona for the Nike Cross Regionals Southwest last November, the wide-eyed junior was in awe of the scene and in complete reverence of her roommate, Katie Rainsberger, who went on to win the national championship.

Now the spotlight is all hers -- even if she’d prefer to share it.

“There’s a lot of girls I haven’t ran against that will be there and I’m really looking forward to it,” She said, quietly. “I hope I can get top 10.”

Top 10?  

Oakley has made the most of 15 months in competitive running, a stint built around a shy 17-year-old whose meteoric rise to become the top female high school runner in the nation can only be explained in medals, not miles.

“She hasn’t been doing it long, but we knew from the first time we saw her she was going to be special,” Grandview coach Allyson Robbins said. “Some athletes out there have this drive to be great and to sacrifice whatever it takes to be great. She's not like most of us.”

In just her second season, Oakley posted the top high school time at Colorado’s Liberty Bell (16:44), a magnificent feat taking into account the mile-high elevation. 

A week later, she ran the fastest 3-mile time in California (15:54). 

“I love seeing how all the hard work and training really pays off,” Oakley said. “I love that you get out what you put into it. That’s what really drew me in.”

Oakley spent 12 years in soccer before a friend coaxed her into cross country last fall.

On her first day of practice, she showcased a mechanically-sound form in beating half of the varsity boys in a speed workout. 

A couple days after that, she ran in the open race at Liberty Bell and pushed the lead bike so far ahead of the rest of the pack that some other girls got lost on the course.

“She was really good at the start,” Robbins said. “The work she put in after has made her great.”

Oakley parted ways with soccer and dedicated herself by the spring. 

She rose to the top of the state with wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 in track. She took another step forward over the summer, where she trained with elite runners in the mountains on Team Prep USA.

“I’ve been training hard and learning more and more about the sport,” said Oakley, who signed with Cal-Berkeley in October. “I think it’s helped me run as fast as I have.”

Oakley will be the favorite to win the NXR Southwest regional Saturday, although she will tangle with Arizona prep star Allie Schadler. If she can put together a performance like she had at state, it might be another big win. 

Oakley won the Class 5A state title on Oct. 29 over three-time champ Lauren Gregory. Her time of 17:07 shattered Rainsberger’s course-record time by 32 seconds.

“I knew she was going to do well at state, but her performance was so beyond good, so incredible,” Robbins said. “It was just jaw-dropping.”

Added Gregory, “I’m just blessed to be behind her."

She’s not the only one.