This past weekend at the Track & Field Conference Championships, the Hopkins men clinched their fifth straight Centennial Conference crown. With six individual champions and an 81.5-point margin of victory over runner-up, Haverford College, the Jays dominated the competition at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Athlete of the Week title could go to a number of different team members: Senior Andrew Bartnett became the first pole-vaulter in league history to win the event for four consecutive years; Freshman Matthew Su took the crown in the long jump and was the only freshman to win an individual title at this year’s Championships; Sophomore Alex Mollick took the individual title in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.86.
Among all these impressive performances, one athlete appeared to be the king of the individual title. With a meet record-breaking performance in the heptathlon, paired with a victory in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Grant Mosser has been chosen as this week’s Athlete of the Week.
A three-season, two-sport athlete, Mosser has been a stellar contributor to both the Hopkins football team and the men’s indoor track team. Few can manage the balancing act of being a student athlete here at Hopkins, but Mosser is somehow able handle this balancing act with ease.
A steady performer for the Blue Jays throughout the winter season, Mosser was at his best this past weekend, breaking personal records in both the 60-meter dash and the high jump. Most importantly, in winning both the heptathlon and 60-meter hurdles, Mosser was the only individual double-winner at the end of the competition.
Following his performance, Mosser was kind enough to visit Colwell’s Court to discuss the Centennial Conference Championship and his personal goals going into the spring season.
The News-Letter:Coming off a long football season, how hard is it to transition into the indoor track?
Grant Mosser: The transition to track is a bit difficult, mostly because being in track shape and football shape are completely different. The workouts at the beginning definitely take more out of me than they do later in the season.
N-L: What did the team do in preparation for the Conference Championships this week?
GM:To prepare for conferences, we tried to pull together as a team and simply get hyped for it. It was a week of easy practices, making sure we were in top shape and firing each other up for the meet.
N-L: After the first day of competition the team was in second place, seven points behind Haverford. What expectations did the team have going into Sunday, and how confident was the team that you could pull ahead into first place?
GM: As a team, we were not worried at all about being behind by seven points. We knew that we were going to win because we had an incredibly strong team that would do exceedingly well on the second day. I do not even think the fact that we were behind was discussed because all of us knew we would pull ahead the next day.
N-L: What is your favorite and least favorite event to compete in within the heptathlon and why?
GM: My favorite event in the heptathlon would have to be the 60-meter hurdles because they are the first event of day two, and it really is a good indicator of where everyone is at, how they are feeling and how the rest of the competition will go. My least favorite event would have to be the 1K. It is a grueling way to end the heptathlon, and it takes a lot of guts to run it well.
N-L: How did it feel to beat your former teammate Devin Conley’s meet record in the heptathlon, and what does the individual title mean to you?
GM: To beat Devin’s record was incredibly special. I had not even known how close I was until after the 1K finished, and my coach told me. Devin was my mentor, and I looked up to him. To be able to have overtaken him is, in a sense, my way of showing him what a good job he did in teaching me how to compete as a multi.
N-L: What meets do you have coming up next and do you have any personal goals moving forward into the spring season?
GM: My next meet will not be until outdoor starts, but as for goals, I would like to be able to make it to Nationals this year in either 400-meter hurdles or, if everything goes well, the decathlon.
