Rantoul's Dixon setting sights upon high jump state championship

Mar. 19—RANTOUL — Brianna Dixon isn't an IndyCar driver.

If the Rantoul senior is able to capture at least one IHSA Class 2A girls' track and field state championship in May, though, she might celebrate similarly to each year's Indianapolis 500 victor.

You see, Dixon loves drinking milk.

"Before I'll leave (for school), I'll drink a couple cups. At night, I'll drink like three cups of milk, usually white milk," Dixon said. "And then at meets, it's usually strawberry or chocolate."

You heard that correctly. Dixon isn't a proponent of more traditional hydration methods when she competes for the Eagles.

It's milk all the way.

"I've always for some reason had problems drinking water, so instead of water I drink tons of milk," Dixon said.

Rantoul girls' track and field coach George Washington doesn't mind ribbing Dixon a bit about her favorite drink.

"He always laughs at my milk obsession," Dixon said.

Those who battle against Dixon on the track or in high jump aren't laughing.

Because she's at or near the top of her events' leaderboards more often than not.

Dixon won the 100-meter hurdles state championship in 2A as a sophomore in 2021, plus a third-place state finish in high jump at O'Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. She followed as a junior by finishing second at the 2A state meet in both the 100 hurdles and high jump, along with a fourth-place finish in the 300 hurdles.

What's next for Dixon?

"Just to PR (set a personal record). I just want, every meet, to be able to improve in some way," Dixon said. "Even if it's not a PR, with form or something like that. Fixing mistakes. But the goal is to PR and do what I can at state."

With a little extra nudging, Dixon eventually sets aside her humble demeanor for just a moment.

"I want to go for a state championship," she said with a laugh. "This year, I'm really feeling the high jump. I feel like this is my year."

Dixon became Rantoul's first-ever girls' track and field state champion with her 100 hurdles crown two years ago.

The road from that triumph to where Dixon is now has been littered with more strong performances. But also with recurring injury woes that started before her high school career.

"I have really bad knees. It runs in the family," Dixon said. "It's been pretty good this year, but I have growing pains. Then I (injured) my right in my eighth-grade year, and then the next year, I messed up my left tendon. It just goes back and forth."

Dixon suited up for the Champaign-based Vipers Track Club in the summer after her junior season ended with the Eagles.

She centered her focus upon trying to garner at least one championship in the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics.

And then she pulled her right quadriceps muscle during the warmup for a pre-nationals meet.

Even so, Dixon still qualified for the July showcase in high jump, 100 hurdles and the 400 relay along with a trio of Vipers teammates that included two-time News-Gazette All-Area girls' track and field Athlete of the Year Alyssa Williams from Tuscola.

Dixon cleared 5 feet, 5 inches in high jump to snag runner-up distinction. She placed fourth in the 100 hurdles at 14.64 seconds and fifth in the 400 relay by leading off a 47.08 performance.

"(My right leg is) my jumping leg, so it was really hard," Dixon said. "(Having success despite the injury) got me really excited, especially since I did Vipers over the winter. That was my first year doing winter Vipers."

Dixon previously played basketball at Rantoul during the winter, but she frequently found herself suffering or aggravating injuries in that sport.

"I said, 'I can't risk getting injured this year,'" Dixon said. "So instead of staying home, might as well do something."

Dixon has seen clear benefits to sticking with coach Marques Lowe's Vipers for longer than she typically does.

"For my (IHSA track and field) seasons, it's always I'm slow at the beginning, and all the sudden I'll get to state and when it matters I PR," Dixon said. "But I've been starting off the (indoor) season near my PRs."

Dixon cleared 5-8 in high jump at least year's outdoor state meet, landing behind only Geneseo's Annie Wirth (5-9). She raced to hurdling times of 14.25 and 44.89 in the 100s and 300s, respectively, at the same event. Each of these three marks serves as a personal best.

So far in her ongoing senior indoor campaign, Dixon has established two team records by high jumping 5-5 3/4 and finishing the 60 hurdles in 8.79 at last week's Rantoul Invitational, held at the UI Armory in Champaign. Dixon also is trying out the 200 and seeing positive outcomes in that sprinting event.

"After our first meet (Washington) was like, 'If you PR, I'll buy you some strawberry milk,'" Dixon said. "After the last meet, he got me some chocolate milk."

Washington, a Rantoul graduate who placed third in the long jump at the 2014 2A state meet and second in the same event at the 2015 2A state meet, is in his first year leading the Eagles' girls' track and field program. He's trying to boost Dixon's athletic profile with extra effort behind the scenes.

"He's been working on my mental, as well, and helping me with my drills," Dixon said. "He's hard on me because I'm one of the best at the school, so he don't let me slack off. He keeps my head on my shoulders."

Washington, who runs the Rantoul Rockets Track and Field club program, also keeps Dixon active in the weight room.

"Arms and core," Dixon said. "I can't do core."

"I was like, 'You've never done a push-up before? You never did core ever?'" Washington added.

Dixon previously has cited the mental side of track and field as something she's struggled with through the years.

"I'm not intimidated as much as I was before," Dixon said. "I like to stay humble. I don't like to feel like I'm better than anybody. But even when I see people better than me, it's like, 'Well, it's the competition.'"

The thing is, Dixon is better than most of the athletes she goes against in any of her track and field ventures.

She'll get another chance to show that next weekend inside Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center, at the Top Times Meet that serves as the de-facto Illinois indoor prep state championship.

That upcoming meet in Bloomington might remind Dixon a bit of last year's IHSA outdoor state meet, during which Dixon high jumped within Eastern Illinois' indoor facility because of poor weather on championship Saturday.

"I wish it was indoors (all the time). It's a lot less (stress) on my legs. I've got bad shin splints," Dixon said.

Injuries aside, when Dixon is fully healthy, watch out. She's one of the top girls' track and field athletes in the state this spring.

"I feel like I have a lot of things coming, and I have a lot of things in store," she said. "I'm just excited. I feel like this is going to be a good year."