After a busy high school career with multiple sports, Mexico’s Morgan Grubb is still going to juggle responsibilities.

Grubb played four years of football, three years of track and field and two years of wrestling and earned all-state honors in football and track but ultimately chose to go to William Woods University in Fulton to compete in track and field. He made the decision clear at a signing ceremony on Tuesday, May 16 at the Mexico Sports Complex and also said he anticipates being used in multiple events like a heptathlete.

Grubb said he will start as a heptathlete in the indoor season and hopes to move to outdoor events and even possibly as a decathlete. The more events, the better as far as Grubb is concerned as track and field means much to him.

“I’m a track guy,” Grubb said. “I love the sport, I love every event and there’s nothing better than just getting to do everything. It’s an individual sport, but it is very much still a team sport. You can win as an individual, but you can win as a team.”

Grubb regards track and field as a family or community that works like, “if you’re good, you respect the other guy, and if you’re not as good, you’re still respected because you’re still putting the work in.”

Mexico head coach Bucky Green said Grubb is definitely the type of kid that puts the work in and has shown great determination as he has worked through hamstring issues in his senior year. He was able to qualify and compete in three events, including the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and the pole vault, regardless.

“He’s going to have to learn how to hurdle, and he’s going to have to learn to high jump,” Green said. “For multis, the big event for them to master is the vault. He’s already done vault. Those are the things he can master where he’ll score points. That’s what I think they’re looking at him at, which is a good fit for him.”

Grubb said he hasn’t thrown the shot put or competed in long jump but has always wanted to do the latter. Events that might pose a problem to learn are the hurdles as he doesn’t have any experience with that challenging event where even experienced hurdlers mess up.

He does feel the same as Green that his experience with vaulting, let alone as a state-qualifying pole vaulter, makes him feel like he’s in good shape.

“Vaulting is a big deal for multi-guys because not everybody vaults,” Grubb said. “If you don’t vault, it takes a long time to get good at vaulting. So if you’re already pretty good at it, you already have a leg up on everybody.”

Being able to be a multi-athlete was a big factor in choosing William Woods, Grubb said because the head coach Dan Schwab believes Grubb has the tools to be good in everything, including strength in throwing, athleticism in jumps and hurdles, and speed in running events. 

“I took a visit down there, and I love the school, love the professors and it’s a really cool place to be,” Grubb said. “I like (Schwab) a lot.”