GRANT CITY, Mo. — Worth County senior Andrew Griffin made his college plans official on Tuesday morning in Grant City as the Tiger track star made his signing with the Southwestern Community College track and field program official.
“I’ve always wanted to be an electrician and they have a really good electrical program,” Griffin said. “I also wanted to continue my track career. Southwestern is just a nice small college. I didn’t want to go to a big college where there are lots of people. It makes me feel at home with the small town and small college.”
Griffin says its been a goal throughout high school to jump in college.
“Since freshman year honestly,” Griffin said. “That is when I actually started to get good at high jump and actually how to jump.”
Griffin had visited the campus in Creston, Iowa, previously, but recently made another trip to check out the track and field program as well as the electrician program. He was impressed with both.
“I went just a couple weeks ago with my parents,” Griffin said. “… We toured the campus and talked to the electrical teacher.”
And Griffin’s high-jump numbers impressed Spartans’ coach Scott Vicker who added one of Griffin’s rivals last season with North Nodaway graduate Owen Martin. Griffin is excited to compete on the same team as Martin.
“It is going to be really nice to be able to jump with Owen instead of against him,” Griffin said. “We will be on the same team now, and it is definitely nice having people up there that you know.”
The Spartan roster also includes former Tiger Kara Staton and Stanberry graduate Marli Hilton.
Last season, Griffin finished 10th in Class 1 in the high jump in addition to participating in the 200-meter dash and on the Tiger relay teams. Griffin’s career-best in the high jump is 1.85 meters — a mark that he reached in over half of the team’s meets.
Now Griffin prepares for his senior year with the Tigers, who return state qualifiers Lucas Frisch and Griffin as seniors. The Tigers open the season with the Worth County Early Bird on March 26.
“I’m really excited for it,” Griffin said of his final season as a Tiger. “I feel like I can do really well this year. It was good last year, but I’ve still got a lot of room to improve.”