Grothause shines as O-G girls runners up

COLUMBUS – Not much was able to stop Alivia Grothause and the Ottawa-Glandorf girls track team Saturday evening at the OHSAA Division IV cross country meet.Not other runners or teams.Not even Mother Nature.Despite a pair of long weather delays Saturday, Grothause was on the top of her game.She won the 100, came in second in the 200, and was part of two high-placing relays.Grothaus teamed with Gracie Lammers, Savannah Recker and Madeline Liebrecht to take third in the 4x100 in 48.87. She ran with Lammers, Recker and Emma Heringaus to place runner-up in the 4x2 in 1:41.82. The Titans also had a squad in the 4x400, but it didn't make the podium.Those performances, plus an eighth-place finish by Recker in the long jump, helped the Titans reach 41 points in the team standings.Only Oakwood, with 52, had more."It was definitely a very exciting and nerve-wracking feeling, but I think we're all very happy with how we did today," Recker said.For Grothause it was also a satisfying day. She secured the 100 championship in 12.12 and was the runner-up in the 200 by running in 25.02.It was a busy day for the senior, but then, that's nothing new."All year, that's just been what it was: four events, each meet, so I think I've been used to that," Grothause said. "(I'm) just focusing on getting as much rest as I can between each event and just pushing as hard as I can when I'm running."Grothause came in with the fastest time in the 100, but said she didn't feel too much pressure."Coming in first, that's a little nerve-wracking. You have to prove to yourself you can do it again," Grothause said. "When I'm running, I don't really think about it. I just make sure my blocks are set good, and while I'm running, make sure my form's good and run through the line."The Titans also were pleased with the relays."I think our handoffs were pretty good," Grothause said. "We worked all season on making sure those were perfect, and we executed on the perfect day."It wasn't quite a perfect day for the Titans.But it was very, very good.