It didn’t take long for Hannah Grudzien ’25 to show her abilities as a thrower or her value to the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls Track & Field team.

In her first meet as a Titan, Hannah established a school record, tossing the discus 95 feet, 8.5 inches, in a tri-meet victory against Kingswood Oxford School and Pomfret School at home April 9.

Hannah bettered the previous mark – set by Maddie Stoltz ’23 two seasons ago - by more than 12 feet. Hannah’s feat came on her first attempt. Along with winning the discus, Hannah placed first in the javelin and shot put, giving WMA valuable points toward winning the meet.

Quotes from Hannah

Hannah on her thoughts going into the first meet: “I knew about the records before the meet - I remember Coach V (Danielle Vartabedian) put all the records out the first practice. I went over to check them to see if I could beat any. I memorized them. I did think from the first day to that meet that I would break one in the first meet - just didn’t know by how much.

Hannah on setting the school record: “It feels good to set a record after not throwing for over two years. It just makes it feel good to be back in the circle. It’s nice to see the work you put in showing, and it makes me strive to throw further and also beat the other records in throwing.”

Hannah on her discus goals this season: “Yes, somewhere in the 100s. I know I still have a lot more left in me. I’m just trying to get it out after not doing track the last two years.’’

Quote from Coach Vartabedian

Coach Vartabedian on Hannah’s first meet: “Hannah came out as a senior and had said she had been a thrower years ago. I was excited because we really needed more girl throwers but wasn’t sure what to expect since she’d been away from it for years. She has great form and strength, so I couldn’t wait to see how she competed. I was amazed to find out at the end of the meet that she had won all three of her throwing events, and on top of that broke the discus record by a lot - not at all what I had expected out of a first meet, and I’m very excited to see where we can go from here.”