L-C’s Wotruba embraces another state trip
Molly Wotruba was ready to quit. Right then. Right there.
Her knees were skinned and the tears were running down her face.
It was her first high school race, and she had just tripped going over the first hurdle.
“I was a mess,” Wotruba said. “I still have scars.
“I almost called it quits. Coach (Neil) Seering wouldn’t let me quit. He was like, ‘No, we’re going to get back at it.’”
Wotruba sure is glad she did.
The Luxemburg-Casco senior will reap the rewards of sticking with the hurdles this afternoon when she competes in them at the WIAA state track and field meet.
Wotruba is seeded 10th for the 100-meter hurdles and 11th for the 300 hurdles in Division 2 preliminaries.
“Hurdles are my favorite events,” Wotruba said. “They are like my babies those two races. I’m trying to help the girls for next year because I want it to be something I can leave behind to them.”
Wotruba has already left a pretty strong legacy at L-C.
The 5-foot-4 libero helped power the Spartans to a WIAA Division 2 state runners-up finish in volleyball. She set single-season and career school records for digs.
Given her small stature, Wotruba has always had to dig deep to become a dominant hurdler. The former gymnasts never let that deter her, though.
“I actually used that on a college essay I wrote,” said Wotruba, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “To walk up to the line and see the looks on the other girls’ faces when they see I’m in a lane favoring to beat them. They’re looking like, ‘Who is this girl? She is small.’ It’s motivating to prove them wrong.”
Wotruba will try to do that again today at Veterans Memorial Stadium in La Crosse as she attempts to crack the top 10 to make Saturday’s finals in her second state appearance.
She previously qualified in the long jump as a sophomore in 2016.
Wotruba was on of the best all-around competitors in the Green Bay area this season.
She ranked fourth on the local honor roll in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.09 seconds in addition to being fifth (48.16 seconds) in the 300 hurdles, sixth in the triple jump (33-10) and 11th in the long jump (16-3¼).
“Hurdles is what I’m passionate about,” Wotruba said.
“Getting to compete in both (state volleyball and track) means everything to me.”
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