CORNING'S GROTTENTHALER SIGNS TO PLAY DIVISION I LACROSSE AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE (8 PHOTOS) (2023-04-19)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
CORNING — For Katie Grottenthaler the goal was to play Division I lacrosse. She looked at a number of schools through the process, but when she went to Youngstown State it felt like the right place.

On Tuesday the Corning senior made it official as she signed to play at Youngstown State.

“I visited a few schools, but when I visited Youngstown it really just felt like home,” she said. “I felt comfortable with the environment, I liked the size of the campus, the coaches, the staff, the people there.

“It will be a big jump. I will really have to fight for time at the college level, so this summer I’ll play a bunch of lacrosse, like the past suers. But, I’m just going to keep working hard, I’m not going to stop now, keep working to play at the next level.”

Grottenthaler, a four-year starter, earned section team All-Section IV midfield honors last year and helped the Hawks win a sectional title. She has made the Under Armour 150 team in 2021 and played for Monster Elite Lacrosse out of Rochester for the past isx years.

Grottenthaler has also been a four-year starter on the soccer team and helped the team win sectionals this year, while earning Section IV All-Division honors. She also was recognized for the Section IV Character Counts Award.

Tuesday was a special day for the Corning senior.

“I am very excited that all my hard work has paid off and it was really nice today to celebrate with all my friends and my coaches and family,” she said. “I really enjoyed having this event for recognition.”

The Hawks star comes from an athletic family. Her older brothers, Seth and Gage, both played sports, and Seth currently plays for RIT lacrosse. Her dad, Curt, played college soccer at the University of Rochester and he is the former boys varsity coach at Horseheads.

During her speech Grottenthaler talked about how blessed she was to have her parents, Curt and Kathy, supporting her and how much of an impact her brothers had on her life.

While Curt is a former soccer coach, he always supported whatever his kids wanted to play when it came to sports.

“He did not play lacrosse, it was just soccer he really liked,” Grottenthaler said of her dad. “He coached lacrosse, he coached modified a few years ago, but he always developed our skills both with lacrosse and soccer.

“Whatever I wanted, he obviously wanted me to do what’s best for me and I think he always knew I always liked lacrosse a little bit more an day parents always supported me with all my decisions.”

For Grottenthaler her brothers always helped push her to be a better athlete.

“They were both very athletic,” Grottenthaler said. “From a young age, being introduced to sports with them and always playing with them. They were always better than me, always stronger than me, so kind of getting that physicality and toughness when I was younger, I think I definitely carried that with me throughout my athletic career.”

Having a brother who currently plays in college is something that can only help Katie.

“I talk to him a lot about his experience and he always tells me you have to keep working,” Grottenthaler said. “You can’t stop if you want to be able to excel at the next level. You just have to put in that work in the offseason, outside of practice and being able to watch him and see his experience helps me with what college is going to be like.”

Seth has had plenty of success in college. He’s a key member of the RIT team that won National Titles the past two years. That success is something Katie sees and would like to depilate.

“Seeing him win motivates me a lot,” Grottenthaler said. “I’m very happy for him, but that motivates me to work hard to get to that as well.”

This is just the third year of the Youngstown program and Grottenthaler is excited to be part of the program.

“They are a newer program, but they have been developing I think within the last two or three years, they are just starting,” Grottenthaler said. “They have some big in conference wins and there seasons are just getting better and better. They are getting more recruits and I’m excited to see where that program takes me.”

After going 2-7 in their first season, Youngstown went 10-8 last year. They are 5-9 this year, having won three of their past four games.

Grottenthaler excels not just on the field, but in the classroom as well. She maintains a 4.0 GPA and is in the top 10% of her class. She is part of the National Honor Society and has received high honor roll every quarter in high school She takes college classes at the high school through the SUPA program and is also an IB candidate. Throughout the years she has volunteered within the community at multiple different organizations.

Grottenthaler will major in business and plans to study finance specifically.

For Grottenthaler it’s her teammates and coaches she’ll miss when she’s in college.

“I am really going to cherish my achievements and all that, but I really appreciate the environment at Corning,” she said. “All my teammates and coaches, I’m very grateful to have been able to play with like Jenna (DiNardo), Ashlee (Volpe) and Alyssa (Dobson), they are all going places for sports. We have grown up together and I’m very excited to watch them as well. Just having people to support you and you can support them really makes a great athletic development.”

While next year will be special for Grottenthaler, she still has a senior year to play on a team that’s off to a strong start.

“I am really excited to see how the rest of the season goes,” Grottenthaler said. “It has been a good one so far and we can just keep building as a team. We are getting better and better every day and I’m excited to get some more big wins with this team.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES