Groves eager to add to throwing resume

Scott City High School graduate Loren Groves already has enjoyed a taste of the NCAA indoor track and field championships.

Two tastes, in fact.

And while Groves said they were fun, she is fired up about her first trip to the NCAA outdoor championships.

Groves, a Kansas State junior, will compete in both the hammer throw and discus during the competition that will take place Wednesday through Saturday at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

"I'm very excited," Groves said.

Groves is a two-time indoor All-American in the weight throw, having placed sixth in the past two indoor national meets. She expects a much different atmosphere this week.

"I'm a little nervous because I've heard it's a more hyped-up atmosphere than indoor nationals. There's going to be a lot more people there," she said. "But I'm really looking forward to it."

Groves, ranked fifth in the hammer and ninth in the discus, automatically qualified for nationals in the hammer by winning the Midwest Regional title. She was ninth in the discus at the regional and earned an at-large berth.

Groves will compete in the first round of her events Wednesday, with the finals Friday. She said her goal is her first outdoor All-American award, an honor that goes to the top eight finishers.

"That's what I really want to do," she said. "Mostly I want to make it in the hammer. If I can do it in the discus too, that would be even better."

The NCAA outdoor meet likely won't be the only major national competition Groves participates in this month.

Groves has her sights set on the U.S. Olympic Trials that will be held June 27 through July 6 in Eugene, Ore. She is ranked 16th among American women in the hammer with a top throw of 214 feet, 5 inches, meaning she likely will earn a spot in the field.

"That's been a dream of mine since I was like 5 years old," she said.