Aaliyah Brown hungry for more

This being the Internet age, everyone not only has an opinion but also a way to let the world know about it. That’s the world Aaliyah Brown has lived in most of her life. “I’ve been running track for about 13 years now, so I’ve heard all of it,” Brown said. “Anything you can think of, I’ve heard it all.” That’s understandable. Not only has the Lincoln-Way East senior been competing for years, she’s done it better than almost anyone else. When she was an eighth-grader, Brown had season-best times of 11.92 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 24.23 in the 200. Both were faster than the times run by the IHSA Class 3A state champion that year. That ratcheted up the hype to seldom seen levels when Brown arrived at Lincoln-Way East as a freshman in 2010. In the years since, she’s put together an enviable resume: 11 IHSA state medals, including five firsts. But it hasn’t been a journey without a few detours. The only state race she didn’t win a medal was the 200 in 2010, when she was disqualified for a false start in the preliminaries. Last spring, Brown won the 200, was second to Waubonsie Valley’s Morolake Akinosun in the 100 and ran on runner-up 400 and 1,600 relay teams. It would have been a great weekend for anyone else, but left Brown unsatisfied. “I wasn’t 100 percent mentally coming [back] from my [hamstring] injury, my aches and pains,” she said. “I really was thinking about that too much. My performance, I don’t think, was all that good. I could have [done] much better.” But she’s not going to let that setback and the one in 2010 hold her down this spring. “It’s been a good journey, a fun journey,” Brown said. “Of course I’ve had my ups and downs. “But at the same time I feel like I’ve practiced and I’ve done hard work to come into this year and have a whole different year than my other three years.” Not different in terms of winning medals, but in terms of leaving a lasting impression on Illinois girls track. Brown’s goals are as high as they come: “Go Downstate and go for those two [state-meet] records in the 100 and 200 and bring my team to a state title this year.” Morgan Park’s Alexandria Anderson set both sprint records — 11.41 in the 100 in 2004 and 23.32 in the 200 a year later — and Akinosun tied the 100 mark en route to beating Brown last season. Lincoln-Way East has won one team trophy since Brown’s arrival, taking second in 2011. But the goals are clearly within the realm of possibility. There’s talent surrounding Brown, including a number of sprinters who could join her on the sprint relays along with pole vaulter Julia Junkroski. And Brown has run 7.34 in the 60 and 23.94 in the 200 indoors this season, ranking in the top five nationally in both events according to Dyestat.com. “That’s a PR for me in the indoor season,” she said. “My PR for the outdoor season is 23.74 so I know once I hit the outdoor season my time should be really, really good, at least a low 23.” The positive vibes are hard to miss. “I think this is the best I’ve ever seen her,” Lincoln-Way East coach Caroline Gerritsen said. “[Not only] maturity-wise but also physically ready to compete.” “My goal this year is No. 1, to stay healthy,” Brown said. “Coming from two years of kind of having aches and pains — if I don’t feel healthy, I’m not going to run.” But she plans on being healthy — and giving the people on Twitter and the message boards something to talk about.