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YSU has won back-to-back Triple Crown victories
By Steve Wilaj
YOUNGSTOWN
Coach Brian Gorby had been saying it for a little while — “Fly with the Y, roll with the red” — but his Youngstown State track and field team officially brought the phrase to life in early March during its Horizon League indoor championship at the WATTS.
It’s a simple gesture (you hold up your index and pinky finger, similar to Texas’ “Hook ’em Horns”) that stemmed from a simple motive.
“During indoor, we were just looking for something to motivate people,” junior sprinter Nina Grambling said. “Just something we can do other than just screaming our heads off like we usually do cheering for each other.
“Once a few people started doing it, it spread like crazy. Now everybody’s doing it — even on the podiums.”
The “Y” was certainly out in full force this past weekend — and for good reason.
By winning the Horizon League outdoor championship at Oakland University for the program’s 25th conference title, the YSU women’s track and field team clinched its second straight Triple Crown. That means that in consecutive years, YSU swept the Horizon League’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field titles.
Check the Penguins’ celebratory photo following its victory on Sunday and you’ll see more than half the team — as well as Gorby — doing the “Fly with the Y.”
“It symbolizes the blood, sweat and tears everybody puts in to get us to this level,” the 24th-year head coach said. “Those two accomplishments are going to be extremely valuable to me the rest of my career and I really don’t see [consecutive Triple Crowns] happening again. We’ll definitely win some more championships, but to get the Triple Crown twice is pretty special.”
To obtain the feat, YSU held off Milwaukee, 156-148, as it secured the championship in the event’s final race. The Penguins entered the 4x400-meter relay with a 10-point lead and maintained it when a team of Taylor McDonald, Tori Thompson, Jayme Ritchie and Jen Shiley placed second.
“It was almost like a moment of relief, but it was also like, ‘Wow,’” said Shiley, a senior and Austintown Fitch graduate. “When it set in, it was like, ‘We did it.’ We worked so hard since August and for it to mean another Triple Crown, it was really amazing.”
The Penguins were in good position for the final race thanks to a number of first-place finishes.
Grambling — battling hamstring and foot injuries — placed first in the long jump, 100 and 200 dashes; Hannah Ropp won the pole vault; Jennifer Neider won the shot put; and Jessica Parham won the javelin with a Horizon League-record toss. Grambling also anchored YSU’s first-place 4x100 relay team that also featured Savannah Osborne, Destiny Hall and Taylor Thompkins.
“Everyone stepped up and did what they were supposed to do,” said Grambling, who earned two awards for her performances — outstanding running performer and the women’s total points championship. “I’m just proud of the way everybody worked hard. There were a lot of injuries people fought through.”
Gorby, who was named the women’s coach of the year, said that aspect made the win even more impressive.
“We had a lot of adversity,” he said, noting that 14 different Penguins dealt with injuries during the season. “This group, you have to give them a ton of credit. Last year we won by about 80, but this year we had a lot of challenges and that’s what was impressive about these kids.”
YSU also received a boost from a freshman class that includes Hall, Thompkins and McDonald, who earned freshman of the meet (running) as she placed second in the 400 hurdles and sixth in the 200.
“The freshmen that came in brought so much talent,” said Parham, a senior whose record-setting javelin toss traveled 48.05 meters and won the event by nearly 12 meters. “We keep getting better and better and I feel like YSU has a lot more chances to win after this year.”
While Gorby wants to temper the Triple Crown three-peat expectations, he can’t downplay the recent success of the YSU women’s track and field program. Now with nine outdoor titles, including three of the last four and eight since 2004, he realizes the “Y” is certainly flying high — or better yet, soaring.
“It’s been building and our momentum has really snowballed in the past couple years,” Gorby said. “From a foundational standpoint, I think there’s a tradition here now that nobody wants to let down.”