April 23, 2024

Telfer is excited, grateful to be a Beaver

By Troy Hyde

Prairie City-Monroe senior Grace Telfer will compete in track and field for Buena Vista University next season. Joining in on the commitment announcement were her parents Darrin (seated left) and Ava (seated right) Telfer as well as PCM Athletic Director Greg Bonnett (back right) and PCM girls track and field coach Bridget Martin. (Photo by)

Forget track and field, Prairie City-Monroe senior Grace Telfer had planned to attend NCAA Diivision III Buena Vista anyway.

The fact that the Beavers’ track and field coaches wanted her to be a part of their program as a thrower was just an added bonus.

And a pleasant surprise to Telfer, who had her college decision ceremony last week in Monroe.

“I had planned to go there anyway and the track coach called me and asked if I would be interested in throwing,” Telfer said. “The fact that I can also be on a college track team is pretty cool.

“It was kind of surprising. I always thought you had to throw at least 38 feet to be able to throw in college.”

Telfer advanced to the state meet in shot put last year and placed 16th with a throw of 34 feet, 6 inches. Her best toss this year is 37-6 and that would have been good enough for ninth last year at state. It currently ranks 13th in Class 2A this year.

“We are very excited that Grace is going to continue throwing a the collegiate level,” PCM girls track and field coach Bridge Martin said. “She is a great competitor and has shown tremendous growth as an athlete this year. She is really coming on strong as she continues to throw personal bests. It has been fun to watch.”

Telfer also throws discus at PCM. She said Buena Vista’s throwing coach told her she would likely compete in the shot put, weight throw and hammer throw in college.

“Coach (Steven) Ricke told me that because I don’t have a true throws coach in high school, that there is a lot of potential to get to,” Telfer said. “I really like the size of Buena Vista. When I visited, I could see it as my home for four years.”

Aside from Buena Vista, Telfer also considered attending college at Morningside, Central and Loras. Her decision to attend college in Storm Lake means her current teammate, Rachel Peter, will be a conference rival in college.

“We talk about that quite often actually,” Telfer admitted. “We don’t do the same things in high school obviously so we are both excited to watch each other and be at the same meets in college,”

Telfer wants to reach 38 feet in the shot put before he season ends. She wants to get to 120 feet in the discus. A state meet appearance in both events also is her goal.

When she gets to Buena Vista, she won’t have quite those expectations right away.

“I want to have fun and make some new friends,” said Telfer, who plans to major in Spanish and communication studies. “I am excited to be a part of a college track team and we’ll see what happens.”

Martin expects Telfer to do great things at the next level.

“I think she will really enjoy being a part of a team at the next level,” Martin said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but with the improvements we have seen this year alone, I think big things can happen for Grace in the years to come.

“She truly has a passion for throwing and that will help her be successful. Her excitement for the sport alone will take her a long way. It is something not everyone has, but Grace does.”