How Freeport cross country star Michael Braun has become top WPIAL runner, Division I recruit
As far back as his elementary school days, Michael Braun loved to compete. But he believed the twists and turns of a cross country course were not for him.
“I went to Butler Catholic and played soccer and basketball,” he said. “My coaches noticed how I could run the entire game and never get tired. They urged me to try cross country, and reluctantly I did in the third grade. I never thought about it before that.
“Our first cross country practice was at Highfield Park. I stayed up front the whole time, and at the end I felt really good and a lot of the other runners were winded.”
That experience served as positive reinforcement. Braun stuck with his new sport, and since joining Freeport’s varsity team as a freshman, has continued to progress. He placed 31st at the WPIAL Class 2A Championship in 2021, 11th as a sophomore and seventh last year.
Now a senior, Braun got a late start to this season while nursing a sore back and hip. Last Saturday’s Red, White & Blue Classic at White Oak Park was his first competition and he turned in a Class 2A winning time of 15 minutes, 49.3 seconds on the 5K course. The effort was more than six seconds ahead of runner-up Clark LaLomia of Quaker Valley.
“My back forced me to cut down on my training for about four weeks,” Braun said. “I usually run between 40 and 60 miles per week, but was down to 20. I definitely wasn’t the favorite and was a bit surprised that I won.
“I took the lead a mile in and never gave it up. I felt fine after the race. I’m not 100%, but I’m close.”
Good news for Braun and the Yellowjackets, not so good for anyone competing against him moving forward.
Braun does not rely solely on his physical ability. He possesses a strong desire to succeed and seeks ways to improve.
“He is the most coachable kid I’ve ever had,” said Freeport coach Melissa Schaeffer, who has been involved with Yellowjacket cross country for years and been the head coach for five. “He communicates well with me and really is a student of the sport. He does research on runners he is about to go up against, looks at their times and finds out if they are fast from the start or more conservative.”
Braun, who won a WPIAL Class 2A track title in the 3,200-meter run as a sophomore, began putting an emphasis on weight training as a junior. With his back and hip issues hopefully behind him, he wants to resume his regimen of two or three days per week in the weight room.
He will visit Penn State next weekend and Pitt in October, having already been in contact with coaches at those schools. The University of Michigan has also shown interest.
“I always thought playing a sport at a Division I college would be cool,” he said.
But Braun’s current focus is to make the most out of his senior year at Freeport.
“I want to go below 15 (minutes) in 5K, definitely win a WPIAL championship and contend for one at states.”
