McKennas keep it in the family
Brian and Kyle McKenna have seen it all, together: birthdays, dating, high school, beginning college — everything. However, the thing connecting them most is a bit more unique to them personally, which is running.
The McKennas have both been running since high school, competing in both track and cross-country. Both were top finishers the Bozeman Running Company Montana State Invitational and are two of Utah State’s best runners. Brian, the older brother, has now been the first-place runner four times during his cross-country career, including the Utah State Invitational in 2009 and 2010.
Brian McKenna is a recently graduated psychology major, in his last season running for Utah State, and is usually seen with a wide smile atop his tall, lean build.
When it came to preparation for his last season with USU, Brian McKenna said it wasn’t like any other training period.
“I did as much mileage as I could,” he said. “I was still recovering from injuries from the previous season,”
He pulled a hamstring while running cross-country and had that to overcome as well as keeping up with everyone else in his last season.
“The injury really wasn’t that bad,” Brian McKenna said. “It just took a long time to recover from it, but I’m good to go. Obviously, I wish that I could have trained more, but it was actually kind of nice to get some down time.”
Kyle McKenna is a sophomore when it comes to athletics, but has enough credits toward a music major to be a junior.
“We worked really hard during the summer,” he said about summer training. “There were lots of ups and downs, but we used what we had, and it was good.”
Kyle, the younger McKenna, also suffered an injury, though his was much more recent than his brother’s. He said he hurt himself at the Utah State Invitational, the opening meet of the season. It was held at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville, at the beginning of September. The terrain of the course is a bit rougher than he said he was accustomed to, which is where the foot injury was sustained.
The injury meant Kyle McKenna had to bike a lot because running was so painful.
“It really made me realize how much I wanted to be running,” he said. “It wasn’t so much physical — more psychological. It really made me miss running, to not be able to do it.”
When he was finally able to run again, he said he loved being able to go out and run for the Montana State Invitational.
“I think that I should be good this week,” Kyle McKenna said. “I was pretty worried about this last weekend, but it really hasn’t been much of a drawback at all.”
Both brothers point out the fact that they each have been a great influence for the other on the cross-country team; they said the dynamics of being on the same team have provided a productive, unique experience.
“It’s good to have Kyle around,” Brian McKenna said. “He’s the one that I talk to the most about running and everything. It reminds me of my potential as an athlete to see my brother. It really pushes me — has helped me progress. And Kyle has progressed a lot quicker than I feel I did, and grown more. It has all been a good experience.”
Kyle McKenna said he feels no different.
“It really is a lot of fun and pretty cool for something that I do so much that I can do it with my brother,” he added.
The McKenna brothers have not only had each other’s support for their athletic feats, but have also had their family rooting for them the entire time.
“At this last meet they took this picture of us and said, ‘This is the last time you guys were running together.’ They love being able to cheer both us on,” Brian McKenna said.
He said he has been named the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week for Sept. 19-24, after winning the Bozeman Running Company Montana State Cross-Country Invitational Saturday, Sept. 17. He finished with a time of 24:27 in the 5-mile race, taking first place and leading the USU men’s team to second place overall.
Kyle McKenna said his brother has been the example he will follow in the years to come, as he continues to work with the cross-country and track teams.
“It’ll be sad to have Brian go,” he added. “He has been a role model for me.”
– mandy.m.morgan@aggiemail.usu.edu