CHECKING IN WITH ... AUDREY STRMISKA
(Editor's note: The Day will be publishing a profile of a spring athlete for each day the high school athletic season is suspended.) School: Griswold High School Class: Senior Sport: Girls' track & field Events: Sprints, jumps, heptathlon College choice: Between Assumption and Southern Connecticut State Chosen major: Nursing
Favorite sport besides track: Volleyball Athlete you grew up admiring: Sydney McLaughlin, professional track and field athlete in the sprints/ hurdles
Checking in with Audrey: "I love the feeling of hard work paying off and the best feeling ever is achieving a PR (personal record) in an event. Running is my therapy, I can pour my heart out at every practice and push myself every day to achieve personal greatness."
What you need to know about Audrey: Strmiska finished the high jump at last year's season-ending CIAC heptathlon event with a personal-best leap of 5 feet, 0.25 inches, giving her the No. 1 ranking for the entire season for Class S competitors in that event. She finished 12th in the heptathlon with 3,306 points and was looking forward to improving on that this year after being recruited by both Assumption and Southern to compete in that discipline. "I've been training really hard and I was so ready to give my everything and have my best season yet," Strmiska said. "I came in third in high jump (in the Class S state meet) during indoor after only being able to practice high jump twice the whole season." Strmiska used to play soccer and basketball and also competed in equestrian show-jumping before beginning to excel at track during middle school. She has placed in the 100 meters all three seasons in outdoor track and finished in the top four the last two seasons in high jump and long jump. Strmiska also plays volleyball for the Wolverines. "I want to say thank you for the lifetime friendships I have made, especially to my senior friends," Strmiska said. "All of the memories I made at meets and practices will be something I cherish forever. I would tell the underclassmen to never take a single practice for granted and to always try your hardest, no matter how tough the practice may be. High school flies by and before you know it it'll be your final senior season within a blink of an eye." She plans to become a pediatric nurse and eventually an APRN. Strmiska enjoys skiing and fishing and is involved in Griswold's National Honor Society, homecoming committee and prom committee.