Move from shorter sprints to 400 meters suits Chesterton junior Gretta McCrovitz so well she finishes second at DAC championship meet

Tom Keegan
onwardtrojans.com
When the news was broken to Chesterton junior Gretta McCrovitz at the beginning of the season that she no longer would be used in the 4x100 relay, she knew that meant she would not be on the same relay team as Kenedi Bradley.
Since any relay Bradley runs on is a threat to break a school record, there went McCrovitz’s chance to see her name in the record book.
But that’s not how McCrovitz looked at it. Instead, she focused on how much she enjoys her new challenge, running a full lap around the track.
“I was told I wasn’t going to be in the 4x1 because the 4x4 was more what I would focus on and the 400,” McCrovitz said. “I was OK with that. I really like the 400. It’s my favorite race to do, just because I feel like everyone gets really excited for the 4x4. It’s the end of the meet, and everyone gets really excited, and it’s a great atmosphere.”
Not all sprinters can make the jump to the 400 meters. It can be an agonizing race that attacks the body. McCrovitz has made such a smooth transition that she finished second in the DAC championship meet in the race Tuesday at Valparaiso. For the first time, she broke the minute barrier, running a 59.33. She also ran the leadoff leg of the 4x400 that placed third.
“I was seeded fourth, so I didn’t expect to get second, but I’m really proud that I did,” she said. “It’s a really good feeling.”
It took a strong sprint through the finish line for her to get the milestone and the eight points awarded for a second-place finish.
“The girl who was in second, I knew I could get her and I passed her up to get second,” McCrovitz said. “Toward the end I was like, ‘Just go and you’ve got it,’ so that’s what I did.”
Her body responded to her command, and she can thank her training for that.
“There is a big difference in the training,” she said. “We do a lot more endurance stuff for the 400 than the 100. I feel like it’s definitely taken a little bit more of a toll on my body, but I just love it.”
Beware McCrovitz when the 400 meters race reaches the halfway point. That’s when she convinces herself she is running the race she used to run, the 200 meters, and she’s at the beginning of it, instead of in the middle of the 400. She puts the pedal to the metal, and when she does, things like what happened Tuesday can happen. She used the speed that served her well in the 100 and 200 in younger years to blow past Valparaiso’s Brianna Fincannon to finish second, behind only Valpo’s Lucy Moye (58.77).
McCrovitz liked how everything was lining up for her to break the minute milestone.
“The weather was good, even though we had a lightning delay,” she said. “I felt ready with all the workouts we’ve been doing. And with the weather we had, I just felt like today was the day.”
Her feeling was spot on.
“Oh my gosh, she’s been killing it,” Bradley said of McCrovitz. “She’s been doing insane. She broke 60 today. She killed it. And she doesn’t even look like she’s trying.”