HIGH SCHOOL

Arizona high school boys track athlete of the year: Bobby Grant

Richard Obert
azcentral sports
Bobby Grant of Brophy competes in the Division I 110-meter hurdles during the state track and field championships.

Bobby Grant

School: Phoenix Brophy Prep.

Year: Senior.

College choice: Miami.

Season recap: Things started a little slow. He fell over a hurdle and didn't finish at the Chandler Rotary Invitational. But after that spill, Grant dominated the track. He crushed it at the Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational. He helped Brophy's 4x100 hurdles relay team gain the nation's top time, then ran a personal record in the 300 hurdles, capturing the title at 36.47 seconds. He had another impressive showing the following week at the Mt. SAC Relays. Then, he saved the best for last. A week before the state championships, Grant broke former Brophy teammate Devon Allen's state record in the 300 hurdles with a time of 36.24 seconds. That has remained as the No. 1 time this year in the national for high school competitors. He came close to that mark the next week, taking the Division I state championship. With Phoenix Mountain Pointe junior Paul Lucas injuring his hamstring earlier in the state finals, Grant seized his opportunity in the 200 dash, and won that title in 21.44 seconds. He ended the meet, overcoming three runners in the final leg of the 4x400 relay to help Brophy win that event.

Grant's comments: "I'm really happy with how the season went. Last year, when I didn't break a record and didn't win state, it lit a fire in my stomach to come out hard and shoot for those goals. Falling at Chandler was really hard. But to come back with some big meets, that felt good. I was under 36.5 the whole year and to stay No. 1 in the USA the whole year was awesome. It was icing on the cake."

Coach Bill Kalkman's comments: "Robert Grant has earned his success in track and field through hard work, with a competitive spirit, and natural leadership. His leadership has carried our traditionally strong Brophy Prep track team to record team scores, record performances and record number of participants (180 members). His competitive spirit has shone through his best performances coming out in high-pressure situations, while gracefully sharing the stage with his teammates and opponents."