On Thursday, May 19, 2016, Quakertown seniors Lindsay Cummings, Barbara Grossov and Olivia Morano were recognized for committing to continue their track and field careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
“We’re very proud to have them moving on,” coach Jason Anderson said. “All (three) of them are four-year varsity athletes for us, and they have been scoring points in the hundreds for the past four years. They’re such key members of the team.
“They’re such quality people, and they have tried so hard for four years, which is hard to do. It can get kind of tiresome, but they stuck with it and experienced success again and again. We’re very proud of them and we look forward to great things from the three of them in college.”
Lindsay Cummings – East Stroudsburg University (Track & Field)
Major: Psychology
Final list of colleges: East Stroudsburg, Hartford
Reasons for choosing East Stroudsburg: “East Stroudsburg has a really good psychology program, and I love the campus.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and field at the collegiate level? “I knew my freshman year of high school that I wanted to run track and field at the collegiate level. Coach Frayne from East Stroudsburg contacted my coach after she attended a Lehigh meet during my junior year. Frayne wanted to recruit me for high jump.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “Lindsay does everything for us in a track meet. We have 18 events, and they vary with all kinds of running, jumping and throwing. Just thinking of Saturday’s meet – she starts off with the high jump, which she’s really good at, and then all of a sudden we go to javelin, and she throws the javelin. Then she comes back to the track and runs the 4x100. It’s just amazing. She’s done that for four years and is such a varied athlete. She’s going to really do well in college because those college coaches are going to see her potential and see all the things Lindsay can do. I think it’s going to be a very exciting experience for her.”
Throwing coach Justin Kucharski says: “Lindsay came out her freshman year throwing javelin and picked it up like it was walking and then didn’t show up again until her senior year where her whole goal – her father said – was 90 feet, two feet shy of districts.”
About Lindsay:
Favorite food: Caesar Salad
Favorite movie: Safe Haven
Favorite music: The Fray
Barb Grossov – East Stroudsburg University (Track & Field)
Major: Exercise Science
Final list of colleges: East Stroudsburg, University of Tampa, Long Island University Brooklyn, Eastern University
Reasons for choosing East Stroudsburg: “I chose East Stroudsburg University because it was one of the close schools to me. I wanted to be close to home but not too close. It’s well known in the area and has a lot of connections to the community as well as they have many opportunities to take advantage of.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and field at the collegiate level? “There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to continue throwing at the collegiate level. I have a passion for the sport, and I couldn’t imagine myself not throwing. I had originally contacted the coach and asked to continue my throwing career. I was ecstatic when I received an email back and shortly after fell in love with the school and track team on my visit.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “Barbara now holds the school record for the shot put, which is a phenomenal feat. She broke the record that was set in 2000. She throws the shot put 39-1 ¾, and that is pretty far. The throwing events are so complex. Of course, you need strength, but you need speed, and you need a lot of technique. Barb has been working tirelessly with our throw coach, Justin Kucharski, for what feels like 10 years, but it’s only been four. She’s out there all night long, throwing endlessly.”
Throw coach Justin Kucharski says: “These two (Grossov and Morano) are going to be impossible to replace, impossible to replace. Barb came in a 26-footer her freshman year. Shot put was definitely Barb’s best event her entire four years here. Discus - she’s grasping more and more each day and was a district qualifier also in discus. Her work ethic is only matched on the girls’ side by Liv (Morano). It’s going to be irreplaceable.”
About Barbara:
Favorite food: Mixed Nuts
Favorite movie: Coach Carter
Favorite music: Jake Miller
Olivia Morano – Kutztown University (Track & Field)
Major: Special Education & Early Childhood Education
Final list of colleges: Kutztown, Misericordia, Moravian, Ursinus
Reasons for choosing Kutztown: “To begin with, I actually thought the campus was a lot smaller, so I came to Kutztown thinking I wouldn’t like it. My friend who was on the track team last year goes to Kutztown, and she said, ‘Come on a tour.’ I actually fell in love with it.
“After I went for a recruiting sleepover at Misericordia and Kutztown, I wanted to see where I stood when I slept over, and it definitely drew the line for Kutztown. It has around 9,000 students, and that’s a lot but not as many as a lot of the other schools. I felt more at home at Kutztown, and once you step foot off campus, there’s so many things you can do.
“Misericordia and Kutztown both have special ed and early childhood ed as a dual major, but Kutztown has a lot more connections with the schools around them and also more study abroad opportunities – I really want to do that. I heard a lot of good things about it because a lot of teachers from my school actually went to graduate school and finished their education at Kutztown.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and field at the collegiate level? “I was on the edge because I used to play basketball as well, but after my junior year, I didn’t feel the way I did before. I used to be in love with basketball. Track and field and basketball are so different. Basketball is such a team sport and track is such an individual sport. I’m a lot better in an individual sport, but track is also a team sport as well, but you definitely can go far by yourself.
“After going to districts junior year, I really wanted to go to states this year, which I did. My parents said, ‘Do you want to do this (in college)?’ I was trying to get scholarships, but you can’t really get scholarships from D-3 schools. It’s hard to get a scholarship to a state school, but I was happy with the price of Kutztown as well as all the other factors to go with it. I just had a positive feeling about it, and that pushed me toward Kutztown.”
Throwing coach Justin Kucharski says: “Liv came in a 26-footer her freshman year – able to curve the shot put. I’ve never seen it happen before. She’s another person that’s impossible to replace. Overall, she was the highest scorer in the field in our throwing events. She held our school record by a half inch in shot put for one throw at Hatboro-Horsham. As a discus thrower the past two years, she’s constantly in the low 110s. If you’ve never thrown a discus, it’s not like a Frisbee. It’s not easy to throw. We put her into javelin, which is also one of the hardest things to throw. Hands down, the hardest events are throwing – the technique, the strength and the speed and putting it all together for one throw is tough. These three seem to do it like bending down and tying your shoe. They make it too easy. They’re going to be irreplaceable. Anybody looking to throw on the girls’ side has ginormous shoes to fill, but I welcome the challenge.”
About Olivia:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: Comedies
Favorite music: 90s Alternative/Classic Rock/Hip Hop
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