Apr. 21—CHAMPAIGN — Nina Brown isn't the most outspoken member of the Centennial girls' track and field team by any stretch.
But that doesn't stop her teammates from looking to her as a leader.
"Nina is really fast," fellow Centennial senior Flora Louise said. "She's really supportive and an amazing teammate and friend."
Or her coaches from counting on her on and off the track.
"She's pretty much, I feel like, the heart of the team," Centennial girls' track and field coach Danielle Murchison said. "Definitely on the sprint side of things. A lot of the younger girls look up to her. What Nina does, they all kind of use that as a point of reference."
Getting to the Class 3A state meet in Charleston in late May is naturally one of Brown's goals for her senior season.
She's already done it three times before as one of the area's top sprinters.
But looking beyond what she's already accomplished, continued improvement in the form of personal records is Brown's foremost goal.
"I feel pretty achieved, and I just love the support I get from friends and family," Brown said.
Brown's senior campaign is already off to a good start. She logged a pair of victories in her outdoor debut at the Champaign County Girls Invitational, winning the 100-meter dash and helping the Chargers' 400 relay place first on April 4 in Rantoul.
That followed a strong indoor campaign that included wins in the 100 and 200 at the Bloomington Indoor Invitational on March 21, then a runner-up finish in the 200 at the Illinois Top Times Championships one week later.
"It's my last outdoor season, so I'm excited and just ready to accomplish more," Brown said. "And I'm ready for state."
The Top Times meet is widely viewed as Illinois' de facto indoor state championship event ahead of the transition to the outdoor portion of the season. This past Friday night, Brown flourished at the Panther Invitational in O'Fallon, taking second in both the 100 and 200 while running the anchor leg on the Chargers' second-place 400 relay.
"We would love to see her do a triple crown," Murchison said. "We would love to see her in the (100, 200 and 400). We're going to try it out and see. It's a lot, because those are all tough races, and doing them all at the same time can be challenging.
"But that's not new to Centennial. Daniel Lacy did it a few years back and was great. ... She has the work ethic to do it, so I'm hopeful to see if we can get that accomplishment for her."
Brown first competed on the IHSA's biggest stage in 2023 with Kaia Westray, Brooklyn Sweikar and Noelle Hunt in the 1,600 relay. The Chargers placed 14th in that event a year later with Sweikar, Hunt and Na'Zarah Walker while Brown also qualified individually in the 100.
She recorded a pair of top 10 finishes in the 2025 state meet, placing 10th with Hunt, Ciaune Bibb and Rochelle Ngwayah in the 400 relay and sixth with the same group in the 800 relay. She also placed 12th in the 100 to cap a season that was her favorite to date.
"That was the first time, I think, that Centennial's girls' team has gotten to really show themselves," Brown said. "That was a good time."
Murchison coached against Brown when she led the track and field program at Jefferson Middle School before assuming her role at Centennial before the 2024-25 season.
Brown was already turning heads while competing at Edison Middle School.