All eyes on Strong for next season

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Summer Athlete Feature

She is not a secret in the world of track and field. Now, Tippecanoe senior Megan Strong is gearing up for what she hopes will be her best season yet.

Just a couple of weeks since the state track and field tournament, Strong left her mark to end her junior season with a relay placing and a state runner-up in the long jump. She also had a very strong sprint season, only to fall a bit short at the state meet.

But Strong was very pleased that her junior track season went really well and knows what is on the horizon with one more year as a Red Devil.

“I think I improved a lot from last year,” Strong said last week. “I have worked really hard in the offseason with workouts, and it’s really nice to finally see some of the outcomes. Overall, I think my track season went really well. However, I did peak in my sprints earlier than I hoped for, so next season I just need to time it better. But I am also excited to keep working hard for my senior season.”

Her track postseason was great as she cruised through the districts and regionals in the 100 and 200 meter sprint races. She will use her state prelim outcome to fuel her for next season.

“Seeing myself fall short in the prelims obviously made me pretty upset, but having that reassurance that I still have another season to work for was relieving,” she said. “I know that I still have more opportunities and success ahead of me, so I just use that as my motivation.”

“I know I will be working harder than ever this offseason to make up for what happened this year. I am excited to see how everything turns out.”

Another event she caught attention in was the long jump, an event where she barely made it out of regionals but put together a big jump at the state meet to finish second in the state.

“Heading into state, I wasn’t really thinking about long jump that much because I did have a rough time with it during the season,” she said. “However, seeing myself fall short in the prelims kind of gave me a realization that I still have this opportunity to do something great, and I definitely did not take it for granted.”

“I knew what I had to do, and this time I actually executed it, which felt amazing because from regionals, I barely made it to state. Long jump has always been a roller coaster of ups and downs for me, but I know what I need to work on and that there will be better to come.”

Strong has been running all of her life, ever since she was in early elementary school when she started to fine tune her craft.

“I first started track when I was in second grade when my dad had put my brother and me on a club team. It was a really interesting experience,” she said. “My brother and I had always been pretty genetically fast when we were younger, so it makes sense. That season, my brother and I ended up going to nationals for a few events, so from then I always knew that when I was older, I’d be running track.”

“I didn’t run again until I got into middle school. But I was still pretty good at it, and from then on I haven’t stopped working towards it. I’ve done indoors every year so far in high school and I would say it is my favorite. There are no factors of weather or wind that can affect your race. The indoor state championships is also one of my favorite track meets because of the competition and the things I’ve accomplished there. I enjoy working towards track because looking up at the clock after a race and seeing a new best time or hearing a new best jump is undeniably the best feeling, especially after all of the hard work you have put into it.”

Strong is ready to use the next two months and beyond to prepare for another chance at a state title in 2027. Her work ethic will drive her to even greater success next spring.

“This summer I plan on doing a lot of training and conditioning,” she said. “If anything, this summer will be the summer I work hardest for because I know I have one more season in high school.”

“The training in the summer can be really difficult and challenging but sometimes I just have to get through it because I never want to cut myself short at an opportunity to get better. At the end of the day I know that there will always be a goal to work for and that really is my motivation.”