By: Nathan Bloechl — nathanb@977thebolt.com
What?!
How?!
Who?!
That was my reaction when I saw that Humboldt Wildcat freshman Lily Groat would be heading to state in her first year, hurdling with the state’s best next week following a monster PR effort, Thursday night.
Never-mind her 18.67 seed time, Groat smashed the first heat winning by nearly a second and a half, then nervously waited out heat two to see if her time would be good enough.
Groat had to hope one of the top two finishers came in after her official time of 16.2.
“Coach Hoag was holding up two fingers and I thought he meant it was heat number two who made it” Groat explained.
“But he meant I made it, I couldn’t believe it.”
Groat’s time was good enough to beat heat two’s second finisher, Lydia Berns-Schweingruber of Gilbert, who clocked in at 16.37 seconds.
Algona’s Abigail Holmes won the event with a time of 15.74 seconds.
“The last time I ran, I didn’t do so well.. I almost fell” Groat explained, chuckling some, “I don’t know it just came out of nowhere really.”
Her coaches, family and teammates embraced following her state berth, but even then Groat said she didn’t believe what was happening.
“I kind of just figured the second heat was going to have it, but then I realized it was me, I was in complete shock.”
Groat will compete Friday at Drake Stadium in the 3A preliminaries at 3:40 p.m.