KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kelly Groth (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) has etched her name in Kutztown University track & field lore over the last three-and-a-half years, graduating as one of the most decorated sprinters to ever come through the program.
 
Unfortunately for Groth and everyone surrounding the program, she was unable to add on to the record books and help lead the Golden Bears to a potential Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship this outdoor season due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the NCAA to cancel the spring sports season.
 
Like many spring, senior student-athletes, Groth was forced to miss out on her final journey. Kutztown is also missing out on an overall great student-athlete and ambassador to the University and the sport of track & field.
 
"When I first heard that spring sports were being canceled this year, I was heartbroken," said Groth. "I remember being told my freshmen year that these four years are gone in the blink of an eye. It felt like I had some of the already little time left taken away from me. I understood the decision completely, but that did not make it any easier to process. I was looking forward to so many senior moments like my last PSAC meet, to the sports banquet, and now I will be unable to enjoy any of those. It's been very hard to take it all in and I've been finding myself watching old videos of races now that I'm in quarantine because I miss it all so much. I would give so much for just one more race in that Kutztown uniform."
 
When looking into top-10 marks and school-records, one is sure to find Groth's name in more places than one. The Audubon native holds school-records in the indoor 55m (7.22), 60m (7.70) and 200m (25.42), and also the outdoor 100m (11.96) and 200m (25.21). She is also a member of the indoor 4x4 relay team, ranking second all-time (3:56.97) at KU, and the outdoor 4x1 (47.90) and 4x4 (3:53.78) relay teams that rank third and fifth respectively. Some other accomplishments include All-Atlantic Region, All-PSAC, a PSAC champion (60m, 4x4) and the 2019 PSAC's Most Outstanding Runner, leading Kutztown to the 2018-19 PSAC Indoor Championship.
 
"I have had an unforgettable career on the track and I accomplished more than I could have ever imagined," Groth said. "These accomplishments are not only the result of the past four years, but of the 12 years that I have been running track. I am blessed to be ending my Kutztown track career with five school records, two PSAC titles, and a team PSAC title. Each time I broke a record or during that amazing PSAC Championship run, I had so many people celebrating with me. The support from my coaches, teammates and family in those successful moments will never be forgotten. I actually had three different sprint coaches during my time at KU and I was able to learn different things from each of them. I already had been taught the importance of weight lifting for sprinters back in high school and the additional training and technique work that my coaches added on during my college career brought it all together for me. It was all of these things that helped me achieve as much as I did in my four years here."
 
While some student-athletes had their entire seasons of competition taken from them, Groth was at least able to compete in the indoor season this year. She ran season-best times in the 55m (7.37) and 200m (26.07) at the Kutztown Last Chance Qualifying meet on Feb. 21, and had a season-best in the 60m (7.86) at the Lehigh Fast Times Before Finals meet on Dec. 6.
 
"I am very glad that I at least got to compete indoor this year," said Groth. "This past indoor season was challenging, but I was still able to finish strongly. I qualified for PSACs in two individual events (60m and 200m) and got to run on the 4x4 relay at the championship meet as well. We ran some good relays this year, which I think we could've built upon in the outdoor season. It's hard to think about what could have happened this year, so I'm trying to focus on what was accomplished in our outdoor seasons over the last three years and how proud I am of those moments."
 
Head coach Ray Hoffman and his staff were able to coach and see the blazing speed of Groth during her collegiate career. But outside of the track & field family, Kutztown University as a whole appealed to Groth. She also had the comfort of her family making all of the first steps of the college experience with her.
 
"There were several reasons that I chose Kutztown University back in high school," Groth said. "As an education major, I was looking at PSAC schools because they are known for their education programs. I also felt that Division II would be a good fit for me athletically. Kutztown also accepted me into their honors program, which was a great opportunity for me. Finally, my twin brother, Brandon, also decided to attend Kutztown, so having him in school with me was another bonus.
 
"Looking back, choosing to attend Kutztown was absolutely the right choice for me. Being a student-athlete here allowed me to find people whose interests aligned with my own. I loved having that support system that would be with me through practice, but also, that I could eat dinners with each night. Those little moments were some of the best parts of my day and brought me close to a lot of great people. The track team became my little family away from home and I am glad to have made some life-long friends."
 
Her time on the track may be complete, but her experience as a Kutztown University student is not over yet. Following graduation in May with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education PreK-4, Groth will be on campus for the next year to earn her reading specialist certificate, after being accepted into the graduate reading program at KU.