Brewster, Portman repeat winners in BRR’s female division
Second-place did not suit Ava Brewster well.
She took no chance of it happening again, cruising to victory in the female portion of Saturday’s 5-Mile Butler Road Race Saturday at Diamond Park.
The Butler graduate, now 20, is a cross country and distance runner at Duquesne University. She finished the 5-Mile in 31 minutes, 41.73 seconds, a little more than three minutes ahead of runner-up Kasey Yeager of Slippery Rock.
“I got second here last year and wasn’t happy with it,” Brewster said. “It definitely motivated me for this year. I had been in training at Duquesne all spring and just continued with that regimen.”
-
Rose Leitner (831) and Esther Leitner (832) high-five after finishing the 2k run during the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Runners compete in the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Runners compete in the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Brianna McGowan finishes the 5-mile run during the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Runners compete in the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Runners compete in the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Runners compete in the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Runners compete in the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
-
Dimitri Watkins (871) and Emmy Johnson (827) line up for the 2k run during the Butler Road Race on June 27, 2026, in Downtown Butler. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Brewster won the female 5-Mile at the BRR in 2023. Her family was on vacation in 2024 and she missed the race before returning to finish second last year.
“I’m running the 10K at Duquesne and my goal is to get under 36 minutes in that event,” Brewster said. “I like where I’m at right now.”
Brewster received the Father Silas Rooney Award for leadership in the field and community at Duquesne last year.
She enjoys the community feel of the Butler Road Race.
“It’s a special event, a fun time,” she said. “People are out here running, not worried about their times, just having a good time. I love that about this race.”
2K
Saxonburg’s Addison Portman broke the tape first in the 2K as a 10-year-old last year. She repeated that feat at age 11, but was pushed hard to the finish line.
Addison completed the 2K in 8 minutes, 17.23 seconds. Julia Peterson, 12, of Slippery Rock was half a second behind her.
Saturday marked Addison’s third Butler Road Race.
“I tried the 5-mile one first,” she recalled. “That was hard for me. I like this shorter race a lot better.”
Addison said she runs in five or six races per year.
“I usually win my age group, at least,” she said.
Addison’s mother, Robin Portman, placed ninth in the 2K.
“My husband and I were cross country runners,” said Portman, a Slippery Rock graduate. “Now Addison’s gotten into it. She did pretty well as a 9-year-old in that 5-mile race, too.”
Julia Peterson followed in her father’s footsteps in placing second in the 2K. Jeremy Peterson placed second in the BRR 2K the first year he ran the event in 2003.
“It’s been 20 years since I’ve ran, but I got back into it now because my daughters run and I wanted to do it with them,” Mr. Peterson said. “Her finishing second like I did, it’s strange how that worked out.”
Julia runs cross country at Portersville Christian.
Peterson’s other daughter, 9-year-old Jenna, finished 10th in the 2K.
Female, 5-Mile
Top 10 finishers
1-Ava Brewster (age 20, Butler) 31:41.73, 2-Kasey Yeager (17, Slippery Rock) 35:02.33, Ruby Patterson 16, Butler), 37:29.39, 4-Evonne Patterson (47, Butler) 37:54.63, 5-Carrie Tomon (45, New Castle) 41:18.51, 6-Gretta Harmon (10, East Brady) 41:21.92, 7-Adrienne Harmon (38, East Brady) 41:23.12, 8-Caitlyn Bell (35, Franklin) 41:58.13, 9-Alexis Kirschner (31, Hilliards) 42:12.75, 10-Robyn McGowan (31, Hermitage) 42:18.17
2K
1-Addison Portman (11, Saxonburg) 8:17.23, 2-Julia Peterson (12, Slippery Rock) 8:17.75, 3-Sara Young (28, West Sunbury) 9:16.22, 4-Makenna Minnear (12, Butler) 9:53.56, 5-Jen Beachem (43, Butler) 9:57.92, 6-Meredith Cubbage (13, Butler) 10:01.35, 7-Ryanne Miller (11, Butler) 10:16.82, 8-Brynlie Freeman (10, Butler) 10:25.68, 9-Robin Portman (39, Saxonburg) 10:40.79, 10-Jenna Peterson (9, Slippery Rock) 10:49.91
