Schweitzer Makes Name for Herself

SAUGUS — Like father, like son, is an adage that often applies to stories about high school athletes.

But when it comes to distance runner Breanne Schweitzer of Saugus High, like father, like daughter, is more appropriate.

Schweitzer, a senior, is the daughter of former Burbank High standout Scott Schweitzer, who set a then-school record of 9 minutes 4.4 seconds in the two-mile in 1971.

Breanne Schweitzer has been very successful during her career at Saugus--winning the 1995 Foothill League cross-country title and running 11:17.59 in the 3,200 meters in track--but she realizes comparisons to her father are inevitable.

“A lot of people recognize that I’m his daughter,” Breanne said. “But it’s nice to be recognized for something that your father did. I don’t mind.”

The last name is not the only thing that links Breanne with her father, so does her running form.

Doug Speck, a noted high school cross-country and track expert, says Breanne has the same arm carriage and stride pattern as her father. Scott has noticed the similarities, but points out that his daughter has comparatively better speed than he did.

“She is really much faster than I am,” he said. “She’s already run some 61-second legs in the [1,600-meter] relay and I never ran faster than 60 seconds for the quarter in high school. And that was in a two-minute 880 when I ran two 60s in a row.”

Breanne will need all the speed she can get today in the Foothill League championships at College of the Canyons.

Although she is defending champion, she will be an underdog to the Canyon pair of sophomore Lauren Fleshman and senior Julie Harris, who ran 10:58.26 and 10:46.48 in the 3,200 in track and have finished ahead of Schweitzer more often than not this season.

“My goal is to win,” Schweitzer said. “I think Lauren might have a little more speed than the rest of us right now, but I’m going for the win.”

After today’s meet come the Southern Section preliminaries and finals at Mt. San Antonio College, where Schweitzer hopes to place high enough at the Division II level to advance to the State championships for the first time.

“I really want to make it to the State meet,” she said. “I’ve come pretty close the last couple of years so it’d be nice to finally run in that meet.”