READING — Brayden Wright already had the senior year most athletes would take and never ask for more.
The Reading graduate helped carry the Rangers through football season, crossed 1,000 career points in basketball and earned a chance to continue that sport at Spring Arbor University.
Track and field, though, gave Wright one more chance to finish something.
After an injury at last year’s regional meet limited what he could do at the state finals, Wright returned this spring with one goal: get back to the Division 4 finals and give himself a chance to stand on the podium.
He did more than that.
Wright won the regional title in the 100-meter dash with a personal-best time of 10.93 seconds and added a regional title in the 200 in 22.65. His 100-time ranked second in Division 4 entering the state finals, scheduled for the weekend of May 30.
Wright’s 10.93 was the highlight of his regional meet, but he said it was not just the time that made the night special. It was the reaction around him.
“After I got it, obviously I was hyped myself, and 12 different teammates came up to me and congratulated me,” Wright said. “Coach gave me a hug. They’ve just hyped me up since the first day of track from freshman year. I just love them to death.”
Wright also qualified with Reading’s relay teams, giving him another chance to bring teammates with him to the final meet of his high school career. He won the 4×100 regional title and also added a regional title in the 200-meter dash with a personal best 22.65. This time is seventh in the state entering finals weekend.
“I just love that it’s more of a team effort,” Wright said. “It gets an extra three people that I love and enjoy to hang out with at state.”
The track season is the final chapter of a standout four-year varsity career. In football, Wright led Reading in rushing, receiving and scoring while starting on defense. He finished his senior season with 733 rushing yards, 205 receiving yards and five interceptions, earning first-team all-league honors as a defensive back.
In basketball, he became a 1,000-point scorer and was one of the top players in the area, earning high-level all-area recognition before committing to Spring Arbor.
“I went on a trip to Spring Arbor a month ago,” Wright said. “It was a really nice college. They have a really nice chapel that I’m definitely going to every time they open it. I just know there are amazing people there. It’s going to be awesome.”
Before college basketball begins, Wright still has one more meet in a Reading uniform.
He has already won a stretch of 100-meter races this spring, including the Hillsdale County Area Best Meet. In total, he’s won seven 100-meter races this season.
Now, he enters the Division 4 finals with one of the fastest times in the state and a chance to close his Ranger career with another all-state medal. He’s a four-time all-state honoree since his freshman year in relay events, including two his freshman and two his sophomore season. He took sixth and all-state in the 200-meter dash his sophomore year. Despite a setback at the Area Best Meet, Wright will look to make the trip to the finals and compete with his teammates.
For Wright, the final weekend is not just about chasing a number. It is about finishing the comeback, finishing the season supporting his fellow teammates and finishing one of Reading’s most complete multisport careers. Wright and his teammates will compete at the D4 finals in Hudsonville.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Reading senior Brayden Wright looks to close track career at states
Reporting by Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
