ANNAPOLIS. Md. — Running cross country wasn’t exactly on Brett Brady’s athletic agenda at Butler High School.

He was a golfer for the Golden Tornado in the fall and played hockey in the winter. He took on track and field in the spring.

“I didn't begin running cross country until my sophomore year,” said Brady, a 2018 Butler graduate. “(Butler cross country coach) Rick Davanzati convinced me to give it a try. He was the first coach to really take a chance on me like that.

“I remember Coach Davanzati offering to pick me up and drive me to practice, then drive me home afterward every day. Just the fact he offered to do that ... I had to go for it.”

Davanzati recalled making that offer — but it wouldn’t have been unique to Brady.

“Any kid willing to put in the time to run and dedicate himself to the sport, I’d make that offer to,” Davanzati said. “If thy’re giving their time to me, I’ll give mine to them. That was certainly true of Brett. I knew the potential he had as a distance runner.”

Brady is still running today — and will soon be flying.

Carrying a 3.89 grade point average as an aerospace engineering major at the Naval Academy, he is preparing to become a Navy pilot. He is also team captain of Navy’s cross country team, which has won the Patriot League championship two straight years.

Brady is also two-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the sport.

He won the Patriot League’s steeplechase event in track and field last spring. Brady is competing in indoor and outdoor track and has another year of athletic eligibility remaining at Navy.

“I'm scheduled to go down to Pensacola (Fla.) for flight training sometime later this year,” he said. “If I’m able to stay here, pursue my master’s and run cross country for another year, I’m more than willing to do that.

“I want to run and compete for as long as I can.”

Brady almost didn’t get the chance to attend the Naval Academy at all. He applied for admission his first year out of high school and was denied.

“It’s so hard to get in,” Navy cross country coach Aaron Lanzel said. “Brett reached out to us and we were certainly interested. There’s only 1,185 students in each class. There just wasn’t a spot for him that first year.

“He was welcome to come back and re-apply the following year. Thank goodness, he did.”

Before doing so, Brady spent a year at Purdue and ran for that university’s club team. He wanted to maintain his four years of collegiate eligibility, which eventually extended to five due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While at Purdue, Brady said Davanzati assisted him in his personal workout regimen.

“I stayed in touch with him and he gave me a few training tips and ideas,” Brady said.

Since Brady was on the golf team each fall at Butler, he often missed the Golden Tornado’s cross country practice. Davanzati stuck around to assist with his cross country workouts after the fact.

“Brett was willing to stay after and get his work in,” Davanzati said. “I was impressed with his dedication that way. Of course, I was gonna help him.”

Brady said of Davanzati: “I’m grateful to have him in my life. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without him.”

Lanzel indicated that Brady’s cross country career at Navy took off from the end of his sophomore year to the beginning of his junior season.

“Brett was always competitive, but that’s when his performance picked up,” the Navy coach said. “We have a lot of talented guys here. Thar’s a challenge to anyone who comes in and he answered that challenge.”

Part of that improvement came from running at 7,000 feet in Flagstaff, Ariz., during the summer. Brady’s family relocated to Arizona after he graduated high school.

Brady drove two hours to Flagstaff to train with other top runners from all over the country.

“I ran into CJ (Singleton, Butler graduate now at Notre Dame) out in Flagstaff,” Brady said. “The running world can be a small world sometimes.”

Lanzel said: “When Brett won the steeplechase last year, that only added to his confidence. He’s done the right things to develop as an athlete — getting the right amount of sleep, eating right, training hard. He became a leader.”

And with that came the team captaincy — an honor not taken lightly in any sport at the Naval Academy.

“So much responsibility there,” Lanzel said. “Brett oversees everything and everybody. He takes care of the plebes, who go through the adjustment of getting yelled at in the military for the first time, and makes sure their indoctrination is OK. He communicates NCAA policy, meets with captains of other sports, makes sure the team has a table for meals.”

Brady broke those responsibilities down to academics, running and military.

“We’re here to be developed as officers and all of those elements are important,” he said. “As team captain, I put out a lot of fires. But it’s a responsibility I relish.”

As far as running goes, Brady said he’s most proud of crossing the finish line first in the cross country race against Army last fall.

“Truly a big deal,” he said.

Involved in aviation, Brady has an eight-year commitment to the Navy once he graduates. He is scheduled to graduate this spring.

“One thing I’ve learned here: Work hard, play hard. Believe me, there’s no place I’d rather be,” he said.

And Davanzati isn’t surprised he’s there.

“The discipline and hard work that comes with distance running is unique in its own right,” Butler’s coach said. “Add to that, Brett competed in four sports in high school while maintaining a high grade point average.

“Am I surprised by what he’s done and where he is now? Not at all.”