Penguins’ goal is to duplicate HL title
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
After being one of Youngstown State’s younger runners the past few years, junior Nina Grambling took to a leadership role the same way she does everything on the track: quickly.
For this weekend’s Horizon League indoor meet, she and senior Jen Shiley will hand out face tattoos, inspirational quotes, pep talks and whatever else is needed as the Penguins look to repeat as league champions, despite suffering some key injuries over the past two months.
“Coming into conference, I’m not worried about individual events; I’m worried about the team as a whole,” said Grambling, who won three individual events at last year’s outdoor meet and has continued that success this season. “With all the freshmen we have, it’s about getting them motivated. They haven’t been in this situation before and we’re focused on getting them into the right state.”
Shiley, a Fitch High graduate, is the defending 400 meter indoor champion, one of YSU’s three returning champions along with Mackenzie Sturtz (high jump) and Jennifer Neider (shot put).
The Penguins entered the season knowing they’d be without standouts such as sprinter Ciara Jarrett (who is out of indoor eligibility but will return during the outdoor season) and Samantha Hamilton (who will compete at the USATF nationals this weekend), but they weren’t prepared to have so many injuries. Standout thrower Jaynee Corbett and high jumper Ashley Wagner (Girard) both tore their ACLs during the first few days of practice and distance runner Michelle Klim (Poland) is also out.
“We lost probably 40 points,” head coach Brian Gorby said. “So we’re about 10 or 15 points down to Milwaukee.”
Grambling is ready to do her part. She holds the league’s best marks in the 60 meters (where she holds the school record of 7.47) and the 200 (24.57) this year and has the second-best long jump.
She’s hoping to break the facility record in the 60 (7.41) as well as Jarrett’s school 200 record (24.48).
“Last year I won a lot of events but this year I’m focused on breaking records,” said Grambling, a Canton GlenOak High graduate. “I want to be permanently up on the [record] board.”
She also wants to put the Penguins back up there. Last year’s indoor title was YSU’s fourth in the Horizon League, but first since 2008.
It will take a special effort to repeat.
“We have a really young team and we lost a lot of good people from last year, but people still have the potential to do great,” Grambling said. “They just need to be motivated to go out and perform at the level I know they can.”