Observant Republic sports fans may have noticed that Brooke Stanfield played for the JV volleyball team in 2012. And that she was a key part of the JV basketball team that completed an undefeated season. But it wasn’t until the spring that the rest of the world took notice.
Stanfield’s freshman track and field season — one of the best ever put together by a Republic athlete of any age — included school records and a busy trip to state, and you named her performance the #4 story of the year at Republic Tiger Sports.
Stanfield typically competed in four events: the 100-, 200- and 400-meters, and the high jump. By the end of the season, she had broken longstanding school records in two of them. The 400-meter record had been held by Sharon Fees since 1977, and the 200-meter record had stood since Dorsey Wakeman set it in 1986.
“She’s very humble, and doesn’t like to have anyone brag on her. She doesn’t really like to be in the spotlight,” says coach Tori Mooneyham, who also says it’s easy to overlook how hard Stanfield works.
“She’s always working hard, but she makes it look so easy that it doesn’t even look like she’s working hard, because it’s so easy and natural to her,” Mooneyham says.
Stanfield eventually became the first girl in Republic history to qualify for state in four individual events. (Three others had qualified in four events, including relays.) She capped her season with a 6th place finish in the high jump, earning her all-state honors.
For all her accomplishments, from the record-breaking midseason performances to her medal in the state high jump, you voted Stanfield’s season the #4 Republic Tiger Sports story of the year.
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