Merino’s Piel, Sutter return to track after banner year
Merino seems to house female athletes that can do it all. Fans need look no further than sophomore Kya Piel and junior Brooklyn Sutter.
Following state championships in volleyball and basketball over the past few months, Piel and Sutter are looking to lead the Rams to a second consecutive team title at the state track and field meet come May.
Both were spectacular at the meet last year.
Piel, in her high school debut, won golds in the 1,600-meter run (5 minutes, 33.05 seconds), the 3,200 (12:18.61) and 4×400 relay (4:17.26), as well as silver in the 4×800 relay (10:35.78).
Sutter also took part in both relays but the 4×400, their last race of the meet, helped the Rams barely squeak out the team title with 88 points to secondplace Idalia’s 83.5.
Piel said that her years sitting in the stands at Jefferson County Stadium helped prepare her for the spotlight.
“Honestly, (my performance) was very unexpected. … It was just relieving, almost. It was just a lot of pressure that I put on myself,” Piel said. “I’ve always enjoyed watching track, but running it was a whole different story. I mean, sitting in the tent before the race is just super, super nerve-wracking.”
Sutter, who also finished second in the mile (5:33.26) and fourth in the 800 (2:32.88), said her relief from her strong showing circulated around something entirely different. Toward the end of her 800 run, she tripped and fell just before the finish.
That forced her to bounce back quickly, whether she wanted to or not.
“The 800 was obviously kind of difficult, because I had been running such a consistent time going in, and then I had kind of a freak accident. It was hard to come back the next day and run the mile after that,” Sutter said. “It was kind of hard to have the same confidence that I had originally going in, because you’re just kind of thinking about that the whole time.”
Both girls will enter the 2024 season with more clarity and a lot less stress, and plan on letting the tides shift wherever they may. After all, they’ve already proven they can run with the best of the best.
“I think it made me a lot stronger, mentally, because I think you have to know that nothing is guaranteed and anything can kind of happen,” Sutter said. “You just have to relax and go out and do the best you can.”