Gladstone’s Larson signs to run track with the Wildcats
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GLADSTONE -- Gladstone Braves track standout Ahna Larson will be exchanging her purple and white for forest green and old gold next fall as she signed her letter of intent to run track at Northern Michigan University Friday afternoon in Gladstone.
"I am extremely excited," Larson said. "It's, honestly, a dream come true. I didn't really think this was going to happen."
As for an education track, Larson will be studying biology and will also be in the pre-med program Northern offers.
On the track side of things, the events Larson will partake in are still a little bit up in the air.
"They think I might be a multi," she said. "So, I'd be doing multiple events all across the board like the 800 hurdles, long jump, javelin, (and) things like that."
The prospect of running at NMU is what invigorates Larson the most about her next steps in life.
"I'm honestly most excited to run track," she said. "I love that atmosphere. I love the camaraderie of it. The sportsmanship of all the girls; it's just such a fun sport to play, and I'm excited to continue that."
Before the deal was struck, running at NMU wasn't something Larson ever thought might happen.
"I didn't even think it was a possibility until Mr. Murtha (Gladstone girls track coach) was talking to me, and he said he emailed the coach and said, 'I feel like you'd be a really good candidate to be on their team,' and I was like, 'You're kidding!'
"So they got back to me in quarantine last year, and it just kind of got the ball rolling. It just happened all of the sudden."
Larson had a number of people she thanked for support through the years.
"I'm just really thankful for everyone. My coaches and my family for everything they've done for me," she said. "(My coaches) have pushed so hard and none of my records or this commitment or anything would be possible without them."
Jim Murtha said Larson's signing to NMU is well earned.
"It's just a well-deserved honor for Ahna," Murtha said. "I've been coaching girls track for 26 years, and she's definitely one of the hardest workers I've ever had and most talented.
"She's earned everything she's gotten. It's been great to work with Ahna the last four years, and I can't wait to see her the next for years and how well she's going to do."
Braves' hurdles coach Mick Maslowski commented on Larson's work ethic, too.
"After 50 years of (coaching), she is the most self-motivated woman I have ever seen in all the sports," Maslowski said. "It's really cool to see her (sign). She's not hard to coach because she will do 12 times whatever you tell her to do on whatever the drills are or whatever the practice is.
"Usually, you have to slow her down."
Earlier this year, Larson broke the Gladstone school record for 300M hurdles clocking in at 47.13. A record -- previously held by Hayley Ford (47.71) -- that stood for 16 years.