Grosserode, Anderson make most of switching events

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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

OMAHA — Tara Grosserode and Kaleigh Anderson both have made the most of changes this year.

Grosserode, a junior from Lincoln Pius X, moved from the sprints to the middle distances. Anderson, a junior at Lincoln Southwest, went from the high jump to the long jump.

Two individual Class A-4 district titles were the result for Grosserode. She won the 400- and 800-meter runs and also was on the Thunderbolts’ winning 1,600 relay. Next week at the state track meet, she will also run on the 3,200 relay team.

Anderson’s switch paid dividends, too. She won the long jump and also ran on the 1,600 relay, which also qualified for state. That helped the Silver Hawks earn a 125-122 win against Kearney for the school’s first girls’ district track championship. Kearney ran away with the boys’ title, scoring 193 points to second-place Omaha Benson’s 63.

“I was a sprinter and right now, my best race is the 800,” Grosserode said. “My mom holds the 100 and 200 school records at Pius and I wanted to try to get them and now I won’t be able to do that.

“But I’ve been working really hard. I plan to run in college, so I’ll be doing a lot of track this summer.”

Grosserode said she had plenty of motivation to make this year special.

“Last year, I had H. pylori, which is a stomach bacteria, and I just never could get over the hump,” Grosserode said. “I was an alternate in cross country last fall and during basketball, I was still trying to get ready for track.”

She got some expert advice when she switched to middle distances. Her brother P.J., who has the second-fastest time ever in Nebraska in the 400, provided guidance.

“P.J. tells me to sprint the whole thing,” the youngest Grosserode said of the 800. “I usually tuck in behind Jordan Searcey, but today I went out. I wanted a 67-second first lap, but I went 70.

“But I knew I had a lot left. My sprinting pays off in the 800 because I believe I can run with anyone in the final 200. I have that sprinter work and it helps. In the 400, there’s no strategy. You just have to sprint it.”

Grosserode was timed in 59.28 seconds in the 400, moving into ninth on the season chart. She ran a 2:21.92 in the 800, which puts her seventh on the season chart.

While Grosserode knew the change from sprints to middle distances was coming, Anderson’s switch to the long jump came just a few weeks ago.

“I haven’t been doing it that long, so this was the best I’ve done in a meet,” Anderson said of her winning leap of 16 feet, ¾ inch. “I’ve kind of been all over with my events. I was high jumping and that didn’t work out. This is my third or fourth meet in the long jump, so I guess it worked out.”

Anderson had to contend with shin splints while working on her new event.

“I’m still just trying to get my technique and consistency. I scratch a lot,” she said. “But I have an amazing trainer who helps get me through it.”

Porter Groves of Lincoln Northeast won the boys’ long jump with a leap of 21-11¾, but that didn’t threatened the season best of 23-1 that he posted earlier this spring. He also qualified for state in the triple jump.

“Today, I was just hoping to get to state. A couple of weeks ago, I tore my hip flexor and it’s been hurting,” he said. “But I needed all my jumps today. My best one was my last one.

“Today, I was in four events (he ran on the Rockets’ 400 and 1,600 relays) and I’ll just have two next week. I need to rest my legs a bit.”

Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.