By Josh Brown
Miami Valley Today
TROY — Once Gracie Glaser was on the University of Findlay’s campus, it climbed her list of favorites fast.
The drive home, though, may have sealed it.
“One of the other schools I was looking at was four hours away,” the Troy Christian senior said. “Findlay was only about an hour and a half from home. It was just the perfect distance.”
Glaser, a four-time district qualifier for Troy Christian’s swimming team and also an accomplished runner in cross country and track and field, recently signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her swimming career at the University of Findlay, an NCAA Division II school competing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
Of course, being close to home wasn’t the only thing that Findlay had going for it in Glaser’s eyes.
“I visited in November, and once I was on campus, I knew it was one of my top picks,” she said. “I really connected with the swimming coach and the girls on the team on my overnight visit.
“In December, I decided that Findlay was where I wanted to go, and I verbally committed in January. It really just felt like the perfect fit.”
Glaser, who plans on studying diagnostic medical sonography, will leave Troy Christian holding a number of the Eagles’ girls swimming records and having qualified for the district meet all four years in her career. She was also named the Metro Buckeye Conference Athlete of the Year in girls swimming to cap off the winter season of her senior year. She was also the MBC’s Athlete of the Year in cross country in the fall, and she holds the school record in the 1,600 in track and field.
Even so, Glaser knew that she’d be continuing to swim in college.
“I’ve always wanted to swim in college,” she said. “I’ve been on and off with running over the years, but I did get some offers after cross country season. Findlay was offering for me to swim and run, but that just seemed like a lot. I probably will continue to run for fun, though.”
And even though she accomplished so much in her high school career, Glaser said she still left some boxes unchecked.
“Definitely not, but I was really close,” she said when asked if she accomplished all she wanted to at Troy Christian. “One of my biggest goals was to get on the podium at district (in swimming), and I did that. I was only a couple of places, a couple of seconds, away from getting to state. So (missing that) stunk, but I did podium and district, and that was one of my big goals.”
Of course, Glaser’s senior year was cut short athletically after the Ohio High School Athletic Association was forced to cancel the spring sports season due the the COVID-19 pandemic, costing her her last chance to compete in track and field — and more.
“I’ve been okay, but I was a little disappointed because club swimming season got canceled, so our conference meet and then nationals got canceled,” Glaser said. “Then school was closed, then track got canceled. It’s been disappointing. I’ve just been trying to keep active and get ready for my freshman year at Findlay.
“I’m looking forward to a new atmosphere, new friends, new coaching and new training. I want to see how I can succeed academically and athletically.”
Contact Josh Brown at [email protected].
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