Just being able to return to the field of competition this spring earned Tremayne Brown from Anderson High School a very well-deserved Boys Comeback of the Year Award.
But what he did during the return resulted in being the Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the second time in his career, and this year his state runner-up finish has garnered additional laurels as the Indians' senior has been named the 2024 THB Sports Boys Athlete of the Year.
"I'm more proud of myself than I could possibly explain," he sad.
One of the first indications Brown was back came at the Madison County track championship in mid-April. On that windy and rain-soaked evening at Madison-Grant, Brown took the high jump championship with a leap of 6-feet even. It was a rather pedestrian result given what would come later but remarkable under the circumstances - both with Brown's health and weather - in play.
Earlier in the year at Muncie Central - the school he was competing against the previous year when he was injured - Brown broke the school record in the high jump with a leap of 6-7, and he closed out the regular season with a 6-6 result on senior night in front of the home crowd. He won a second blue ribbon that night when he took first place at 19-0 in the long jump.
From there, the focus became all about one thing, and that was to return to the state meet.
"This has pushed me to want to do more, to feel like I can do more," Brown said. "My goals weren't too hefty, just win the meets for now then start competing against myself."
Brown advanced with a third-place sectional placing and a height of 6-3 and was fifth at regional but qualified for the state meet when his height of 6-4 met the state standard.
Forced indoors at the state championship at Indiana University, Brown saved his best performance for last. One by one, he cleared the bar at each height and did so each time on his first attempt. He eventually broke his own school record when he cleared 6-8 and locked up the second place position after making 6-9, missing out on the state title by just one inch.
One week later the Midwest Meet of Champions at Marian University, Brown tied for third at 6-8.
Late in Brown's senior year, he was able to land a college offer and will compete in track-and-field at Vincennes University.
"I'm not sure how I could be happier, aside from a first-place finish (at state)," Brown said. "Other than that, there's nothing better that could have happened during my senior season."
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.