After starting the sport mainly because of her friends, junior Becca Gruntz has earned a WPIAL medal in long jump and made a big impact on the indoor and outdoor track teams.
“All of my friends were doing (track) in middle school, so I decided to do it with them,” Gruntz said.
Reaching WPIALs in outdoor track as a sophomore last year was impressive, but even more impressive was placing sixth against older competition.
“One of the most memorable moments for me was medaling at WPIALs after having a rough indoor season,” she said. “It helped my confidence, and it was a great experience.”
In the current indoor track season, Gruntz was satisfied with her performance at a recent meet at Edinboro University.
“I placed first in long jump and third in triple jump,” she said. “I think that’s a great start to the season.”
Gruntz competed against over 30 other athletes in both of these events.
But as she was satisfied, she also has big goals for her indoor season.
“I hope to jump a 17-foot jump and hopefully make it to states,” Gruntz said.
Junior Charlotte Fauls said Gruntz is both a competitor and a supportive teammate.
“She is competitive, but she is able to put it aside and be comforting and supportive when you need it,” Fauls said.
Fauls recalls a fond memory she shared with Gruntz at an indoor track meet.
“We both medalled at the Rust Buster invitational together,” Fauls said.
Senior Noah Saccani said Gruntz’s attitude boosts her performances at meets.
“She can be hard on herself, but ends up performing well because of that,” Saccani said.
When meets get tough and pressure starts becoming more overwhelming, Gruntz takes time to calm herself down before a jump.
“I close my eyes and visualize what I need to do and how my jump would look, and I forget about everything else,” she said.
Although Gruntz is known as a jumper, she is also involved in cross country. Coach Rich Wright said Gruntz plays a key role on the team.
“She brings strength to our girls team as she can score points for us,” he said. “Her WPIAL medal proves she is as good as anyone.”
Wright has seen Gruntz’s skills and confidence grow over the years.
“She feels more comfortable jumping with each season,” he said.
