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Brown serves up a curveball Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Jenny Brown returns a shot during her semifinal match against Jennifer Young in this past weekend's Lithia Motors Tennis Championships. Brown went on the claim the women's open singles title. The North Medford High senior now has her sights set on competing for the school's track team instead of another turn in high school tennis. North senior Jenny Brown opts for a run on the track team instead of taking a shot at defending her 4A state tennis title By Don Hunt Mail Tribune Jenny Brown can be found at the Southern Oregon Tennis Club several times a week, and that's no surprise considering she's the defending Class 4A state singles champion. Brown is gearing up for a big junior tournament at the club Feb. 8-10, in which the top finishers will qualify for the Super National events that kick off this spring. The North Medford High senior is ranked No. 2 in the Pacific Northwest in the girls 18-and-under division. One would assume that Brown, who signed a national letter of intent with the University of San Diego in November, would also be gearing up for her senior season with the Black Tornado. But she's not. Instead, Brown will take a break from high school tennis and run track. A gifted all-around athlete, Brown won the Class 2A state cross country championship for St. Mary's High in 1999 and finished eighth at the 4A meet last fall for the Tornado. She transferred to North Medford for her senior year. "I'm really excited about running track," says Brown, who hasn't sped around an oval since her eighth-grade year at Hedrick Middle School. "I've always loved to run and I'd like to get on the track one last time before hitting tennis really hard." Brown is also excited about running for Marnie Mason-Johnson, who took over the Tornado cross country program last fall and serves as the distance coach for the track team. Mason-Johnson guided Klamath Union to a state cross country championship in 1999 and two of her runners have won state track titles over the past two years. "Marnie is one of the greatest coaches I've had," Brown says. "She really cares about you as a person and is able to get the most out of you as a runner. She also creates a team atmosphere that's just awesome. I can't wait for the track season to start." In a sense, it already has. Brown has been working out under Mason-Johnson's watchful eye and will compete at an indoor meet in Reno next week. "I've never had such challenging workouts in my life," Brown says. "We've been doing a lot of sprint work and hill work and it's been tough, but I like to be pushed." Brown will likely run the 400, 800 and 1,500, and is a good bet to run one or both relays. Brown carries a 3.7 grade point average in the classroom and was recruited by a host of NCAA Division I colleges to play tennis. She took visits to Rice, William & Mary, the University of Denver, Colorado and the University of San Diego, settling on the latter. "I really liked Rice and William & Mary, but once I met the coaches and the girls at San Diego I just knew that was where I was supposed to be," Brown says. "It felt like a good fit for me, and it's good to stay on the West Coast." Brown is one of the most athletic players ever to work under Frank Inn, the lead instructor at the Southern Oregon Tennis Club. "She moves around the court very well and she's got all the shots," Inn says. "She does a good job of mixing things up. She can charge the net, play the baseline and play all the angles. "Plus, her serve comes at you about 100 mph. She does a lot of things to disrupt the rhythm of her opponents." The only asset Brown lacks is a firm belief in herself when she gets in big matches, Inn says. "She's such a fighter she may never show it, but she can get a little uptight and anxiety-ridden when she's up against a top player in a big tournament," Inn says. "It doesn't happen very often but sometimes it does, and she needs to learn how to overcome that a little better." Brown will play a full schedule of junior tournaments leading up to the summer in hopes of conquering those fears. "The more tournaments I play, the more comfortable I'm going to be in those situations," she says. "I've had a lot of friends slack off their senior year and not go to very many tournaments, but I want to be ready my freshman year (in college)." Brown has no plans to play professionally, however. Her career goal is to be an elementary school teacher. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.