It was her final Eastern Connecticut Conference track and field meet representing Ledyard High School, the 1,600 meters, and Megan Brawner was doing what she wasn't certain she could.

She was already Megan Brawner, nice kid: charismatic, well-rounded, empathetic to even her closest competitors, cheering for everyone while everyone cheered for her. What she was unsure of was how to carry the mantle of Megan Brawner, defending champion, especially since winning at all costs wasn't part of her nature.

“When you're the defending title-holder and you're fourth, that's not good enough,” Brawner said of her fears. “I'm hard on myself. (At the beginning of the season), I started to panic a little bit. I was expected to run fast times at every single dual meet.

“… There's a time to win and a time to just enjoy it. Getting that one extra first place (at a dual meet) isn't going to make you an All-American or something. You get more memories just enjoying the sport.”

It took some work. And some soul-searching.

Eventually, Brawner found a way to bring to life the brand given to her by Ledyard principal Amanda Fagan earlier in the year: “deceptively sweet killer.”

Brawner won the ECC 1,600-meter race, punctuating the victory by raising her fist skyward in joy.

She followed that with a victory in the 800, defending both her league titles from the year before.

At the Class MM state championship meet in Middletown, Brawner won her second straight title in the 800, coming from behind on the final stretch to finish in 2 minutes, 22.49 seconds. She overcame a fourth-place finish in the 1,600 about an hour earlier, after which she collapsed in the 90-degree heat and found herself struggling with emotion.

Brawner, who will attend Central Connecticut State University on a partial athletic scholarship next year and compete at the Division I level, was named The Day's 2016 All-Area Girls' Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

She finished an extraordinary school year with a sweep of The Day's top honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

Ledyard coach Kim Libera, an assistant coach with the boys' program but also a former state champion miler who helped lead Brawner this season, was overjoyed following the state championship victory.

“There's a lot of pressure on runners in general,” Libera said. “You also have to deal with the elements. And she's still young, a year, year and a half into this (it was the second outdoor season for Brawner, a former tennis player).

“(The 800) was a very competitive race. I saw her coming around the last turn and really begin to move on the leader. It seemed like this was the strong point and she did have something left in the tank. She went out of her comfort zone; that's what's often necessary to do.”

Brawner called the ECC 1,600 meters her turning point. Her mom and dad, Maureen and Mike, were standing at the finish line. All season long, they worried with her.

“It was a good day for them, too. They realized I hadn't gone anywhere,” Brawner said.

At the Class MM meet, her 1,600 finish was somewhat of a disappointment, combining with the heat to leave her flustered. Brawner started the 800 by running last after the first 200 meters.

Then, suddenly, there was a manageable amount of race left. Brawner, who worked on her finishing kick with Libera all week, had two competitors between herself and a title.

“When you get to, like, a kick battle, if you know you can win, that's when the switch turns on,” Brawner said. “You hear about people winning state championships. You picture yourself doing that. It is special to call yourself the defending person.”

Brawner finished her career in the CIAC 2,000-meter steeplechase on June 13 in New Britain, the same city she will call home while at Central. She hoped to break the school record in the event, but did not. She still came up smiling.

“The uniqueness of the sport is we don't have this gladiator mentality that you often see across the country,” said Libera, a former runner at Rutgers.

“It allows for bonding, even with your rivals. Our competitors both push and pull us to great performances. That's the great beauty. It's not about pounding somebody into the ground. It's enjoying the race, showing how you can conquer the nervous moments.”

Brawner, who even drew cheers at the conference meet from opposing coaches, calls the league “one, big ECC family.”

Along with her twin brother Kevin, Brawner graduated last week from Ledyard, where she was class secretary and editor-in-chief of the school's online newspaper, The Colonel. She plans to major in business and someday hopes to run the New York Marathon.

To cap her career, Brawner received the Judy Standish Memorial Scholarship Award, the Bob Arsenault Memorial Scholarship Award and was named Ledyard’s top female three-sport athlete.

Said Brawner, recalling her first high school season: “In my opinion, a lot of people love the team aspect of sports. Cross country was the one that had the biggest team-oriented environment.

"Freshman year I came in the top three my last home meet. (Coach Bruce) Douglass gave me hope that I would continue to improve. That gave me hope.”

v.fulkerson@theday.com

The Day's 2016 All-Area Girls' Track & Field Team

Player of the Year - Megan Brawner (Ledyard)

100 meters, 200 - Kate Hall (Stonington)

400 - Sam Lee (Old Lyme)

3,200 - Caroline Morehouse (Stonington)

100 hurdles, 300 hurdles - Haley Ashton (East Lyme)

4x100 relay - Fitch (Madison Powe, Denise Strong, Brianna Robinson, Jenna Bendfeldt)

4x400 relay - East Lyme (Claire Mason, Anne Quevreaux, Cassidy Abdeen, Haley Ashton)

4x800 relay - Montville (Emma Giurleo, Abby Baukus, Suzie Fitzgerald, Mady Whittaker)

High jump - Sydnee Spruill (Fitch)

Long jump - Ryana Kelsey (Fitch)

Triple jump - Ying Zi Huang (Montville)

Pole vault - Kelsie Hall (NFA)

Shot put - Kristen Foster (East Lyme)

Discus - Christianna Johnson (Montville)

Javelin - Naomi Clark (Montville)

Utility - Alicia Moroyoqui (Fitch), Rhema Phillips (Grasso Tech)