Deja vu: Pleasant Hill's Beck repeats as 400 state champ

Editor's Note: From May 2024

By Jimmy Gillispie

JEFFERSON CITY — Moments after Brooke Beck won her second-straight 400-meter dash state title, she had a brief moment of deja vu.

The Pleasant Hill junior had just narrowly beaten Ladue Horton Watkins junior Delaney Brinker for the championship. It marked the second year in a row Beck clipped Brinker for the 400 title at the Class 4 state track and field meet.

“It’s a bit eerie, I think that’s a good way to put it,” Beck said. “I’m such a veteran now that it’s just like let’s go and do this.”

Beck didn’t celebrate her victory. After crossing the finish line, she tried to catch her breath while walking to the awards tent, only briefly cracking a smile for the camera.

“I knew I had won, but it would have sucked if I was wrong,” Beck said laughing.

Beck and Brinker had battled only once this year. Brinker won the 400 dash at the KU Relays while Beck finished third in the race.

Brinker again bested the reigning champ in Friday’s preliminary race. They ran in separate heats, but Beck had the second-best time going into the finals Saturday.

They ran neck and neck the whole race, coming around the final corner together, several steps ahead of the rest of the pack. 

“Right at the corner, I was waiting to see her,” Beck said. “When I did, I knew we were in it and it was about to hurt. That’s kind of the scariest part to me, it’s the pain you know you’re going to feel. I don’t know if other runners think about that how this is going to hurt so bad.

“I knew I was going to see her, and I’m glad I did,” she added. “If she was not there, I would not have run sub-55. I’m definitely glad she was there.”

As they sprinted down the final 50 meters, Beck took a small lead but it wasn’t enough for her to let up. 

“At that point, when I knew I was beating her, I was not about to slow up,” Beck said. “I was winning this thing.” 

Beck won the race and state title in a time of 54.92 seconds. That broke the school record she set at state last year, which was 55.0 seconds. She won this year’s race by 0.12.

Breaking her own school record was one of Beck’s goals.

“It’s literally everything,” Beck said. “A 54, are you kidding me? That’s so cool. It’s so awesome.”

Losing the title wasn’t something Beck thought about. 

“I had to do it, because I wasn’t going to let little sophomore me be better than my junior self,” Beck said. “That’s just not an option for me. Also, back-to-back state champ just sounds awesome, so I had to do that.”

On Friday, Beck also ran the 800-meter run at state. She finished third for the second year in a row, but ran much faster this year.

Beck’s third-place time was 2:12.79 – just over a second slower than the winning time. Last year, she placed third in a time of 2:18.76.

Her time also broke her own school record, which was 2:14.69. She set that record at KU Relays in April.