Waterford — Megan Brawner found the whole process of being a defending champion to be a somewhat difficult one.

Brawner, a Ledyard High School senior, backed off her racing a little bit during the regular season this year, trading in some of her 800- and 1,600-meter races to dabble in the 300 hurdles, which she figured would help her for the steeplechase during the postseason.

It created a lot of questions directed toward her. And she wound up as the second seed in the 800 and the 1,600 at Saturday's Eastern Connecticut Conference championship, both the races in which she was defending her league titles.

All that didn't matter, as Brawner came through with a pair of victories, winning the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 14.16 seconds and later the 800 in 2:21.98, both season-best times. She will next defend her Class MM state 800 title.

Brawner joined Ledyard's Herman Winston, the ECC boys' 100 and 200 champion as the only two local athletes to win a pair of individual titles. Brawner is headed to Division I Central Connecticut State University in the fall.

"Last year, as coach Pasta (Sanabria, Ledyard boys' coach) says it, I was a sparrow chasing a hawk. No one knew me as an outdoor track runner. To be honest, I don't think people realize how nervewracking it is to be the defending champion ... the collective pressure.

"When people don't see you racing as much, they worry that something happened, you're hurt, but I didn't go anywhere. ... Today, before the 1,600, I almost started crying. You appreciate the support that everyone has given you. Seeing my parents, seeing them smile, it means a lot to me. I felt a lot different today."

Winston, meanwhile, spoke to Brawner after the meet and they agreed to give the state meet their best shot, representing the Colonels.

Winston, a junior, is a former baseball player running his first year of outdoor track. His mom, Tracy, a big Red Sox fan, was shocked when her son decided to switch sports. Saturday, he took the 100 in 11.25 seconds and the 200 in 22.89 seconds. Winston was prepared to race Norwich Free Academy junior Jawaun Johnson, the defending ECC champ in both those races, before Johnson withdrew from the meet.

"Running against Jawaun is a challenge. I'm always up for a challenge," Winston said. "I know Jawaun personally. He's my friend. All week I prepared to run against him."

Winston was part of Ledyard's 4x180 relay team which won an ECC title indoors. He began indoor track as a sophomore because he was looking for a winter sport and his friend, Manny Deshields-Sanabria, showed him the right way to use starting blocks and other nuances of track.

"I never knew I had the potential to be where I'm at," Winston said. "I'm just humbled by it. It was a tough choice. My mom watches baseball all the time. I came home and said, 'I'm doing track.' She said, 'No, you're not.' She wasn't for it at first. But then she must have thought, 'If that's going to make him happy ...'

"She made me the person I am today."

v.fulkerson@theday.com