Terrible weather conditions should have made for a challenging meet, but all around, smiles showed as many seniors competed in their last home meet at Grinnell, the Dick Young Classic. During the 10K, passages were read over the PA system about each senior, highlighting their accomplishments and future goals.
Grinnell placed first with the men’s track and field team scoring 201 points and the women’s scoring 241. Luke Robinson `26 placed first in the 1500m, along with Morgan Karow `26 placing first in the women’s 1500m. Hannah Roark `26 placed first in the 800m, and Andy Chestovich `26 placed second in the men’s 800m, followed by Connor Heagy `26, who placed fourth. Jessie Goodman `26 placed first in the 100m high hurdles, and Ilem Leisher `26 placed second in the men’s high hurdles. Jack Novelle `26 placed second in high jump, and Tyler Ching `26 placed fourth in the steeple chase.
For many, the meet on April 11 was their final Grinnell home meet, representing years of hard work and dedication to the sport, with a supportive community by their side. Four seniors, Chestovich, Roark, Goodman and Novelle, shared their reflections on their time at Grinnell and what they took away from the experience.
Chestovich, a mid-distance runner, said that the running experience is full of ups and downs. He explained that sometimes running lacks the clear progression seen in other sports. “Running just kind of fluctuates between things are going very good, things are not going so well,” he said.
He said some of his fondest moments are the ones that focus on doing it for the team. “At conference and cross country, getting out with a big pack of guys, and everyone pulling each other … I feel like those are my favorite moments of just doing it for the team, rather than my own personal time or benefit,” he said. Chestovich shared a story in which, during his first year at conference, he wanted to place first, second, and third in the 800m with Heagy, Robinson and himself.
Racing, for Chestovich, brings a sense of calm confidence. He said, “I just enjoy that kind of feeling of being at peace in a way and knowing I just need to send it with my hardest effort,” he said. Chestovich said that despite races being tough, the feeling isn’t new. “I remind myself, like, yeah, it’s gonna hurt, but I’ve done this to myself hundreds of times now, and so it’s nothing, it’s nothing new. I mean, I’ve been to a place of bad hurt before, so I’m not going anywhere I haven’t been before,” he said.
Chestovich spoke fondly of the emotion in the sport and how important it is to lean on those special moments. “I think just really leaning in on the moments that make it fun, like, the training sessions with the guys, the easy runs with the guys, seeing your teammates do well, congratulating, celebrating with them, picking them up when they’re down, it’s kind of a uniquely special thing,” he said.
Goodman, a hurdler who broke the 12-year-old school record in the 60-meter hurdles during the first meet of the indoor season this year, shared that Grinnell’s program focuses more on the team aspect. She said she had an eight-year goal of three-stepping the hurdles, and then, at one random meet, completed it.
“I remember finishing that race, realizing how good it was, and going and giving my coach a big hug, and he was really happy for me,” she said.
Goodman said she is looking forward to continuing to have fun with her team. “Right now, it sometimes gets a little bit tiring having to take the whole Saturday for it, but I know I’m gonna look back on it and miss the bus rides with my teammates and getting to cheer people on and really pushing myself very far outside of what I’m comfortable with,” she said.
Goodman described her hurdling process as non-linear. “Some races you could run a PR one meet, and then your slowest race the next meet, so it’s very hard to stay focused on the big picture because most races are not great,” she said. “You just kind of have to celebrate when the races are good and support your teammates, but not put too much pressure on yourself for every meet to be the best race.”
Hannah Roark, a mid-distance runner, said that her recruitment process was last-minute, but turned out to be the best decision she ever made. “I felt right away I was very surrounded by a lot of people who I really loved to be around, teammates who I really loved and I’m really grateful to have the chance to meet so many new people,” Roark said.
Roark qualified for the 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships by placing 18th at the Midwest Regional and was the first Grinnell women’s national qualifier since 2021.
Roark said she is looking forward to finishing out her season with her teammates. “I feel like I’ve been able to really detach myself from outcome goals and things like that and focus on what really matters to me, which is time with my teammates, time and training, just eating together at D-Hall,” she said.
Roark said she felt good about the meet “because it was just no pressure, surrounded by people who I love and who are important to me,and who I also want to have an impact on.”
When asked what she wished people asked about running, she said she wants to be asked about what she is most grateful for. “I feel like that’s something I ask myself all the time, and I often have to write myself little sticky notes of, like, I’m really grateful for this teammate, and this race is gonna be all about this teammate, especially in cross country, when they’re so long,” she said.
Novelle, a high jumper, said jumping for him is very mental. “You kind of have to clear your head and just realize you’ve been training for this, you know what to do. As long as you stay focused, you can achieve success in the event.”
Novelle said the most important thing for him to remember is staying focused and committed, even during hard periods. “Don’t let the emotions of not achieving the result you wanted impact 99 percent of what the track and field experience composes, which are practices and bonding with the team and those types of activities, because if you’re not able to let that stress or negative emotions about not achieving those results impact the other stuff, then your experience isn’t gonna be as positive as it could be looking back on it in the future.”
The Track and Field season will end on May 8 with the Midwest Conference Championships in Mount Vernon, Iowa.