‘Running ugly’ has gotten Brown this far, and it was instrumental in the Buffaloes claiming their first Sac-Joaquin Section championship last week.

The sophomore earned four medals in the Division III meet at Golden Valley in Merced on May 16 and broke one of his coach’s school records in the process. Brown placed third in a fast 300-meter hurdles final, finishing in 38.76 seconds. His previous personal record was set just two days prior in the trials, rambling to a third-seeded time of 39.39. Head coach Paul Lyons held the previous school record, established in 2011 during the state meet at 38.89 seconds.

“It’s awesome,” Lyons said. “I always joked, ‘If you get close, I’ll probably not let you race again — can’t let you take it officially.’

“He saw such a significant jump in just the last week, more than he did for most of the season. For him to make such significant jumps is super impressive knowing he’s still running ugly. There’s room for improvement, and he’s going to be considered very elite very soon, I think.”

Brown is able to get away with ‘running ugly’ in the 300, the stronger of the two hurdle events for him. In the 110, he managed to PR with a wind-aided 15.01 for fourth place.

“The 110 is a more technical race where there is a small margin for error, and for him to make a mistake here and there and PRing is harder to do,” Lyons said. “We’re encouraging him to run aggressively and use his athleticism. Don’t be afraid of running ugly — that’s been his motto all season. It has allowed him to get two PRs. He is only .1 off the state (qualifying) standard (for the 300 hurdles), and I think he still has a lot left in the tank.”

Brown also captured top-four medals in the relays. He joined Julian Moncada, Joseph Habibi and Quinn Martinez in the 4x100, which won gold at a season-best 42.37.

The 4x400 of Mateo Esparza, Brown, Habibi and Moncada clinched the section title for Manteca, taking third in 3 minutes, 29.87 seconds.

The team standings were close throughout at the top, with host Golden Valley holding a lead going into the final two events. The Buffaloes finished with 70 points to Golden Valley’s 59.

“His impact was huge for the section championship,” Lyons said of Brown. “He gave us more points than was projected and that kept us within striking distance. What he did in the hurdles kept it close enough to make a difference.”

Both relays hope to get a boost this week for the SJS Masters meet, as standout sprinter Jayden Scarver works his way back from a hamstring injury. The Masters trials is on Friday at Folsom High, with finals on Saturday. The top three placers and anyone else hitting at-large standards qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships.