IKM-Manning's Carroll talks athletic career

Incoming IKM-Manning Junior Grace Carroll is excited to open the volleyball season starting with a scrimmage at Atlantic High School where they will be one of 16 schools in attendance.
“I’m very excited,” Carroll said. “I think our team is going to do really well this year. I think we’re more prepared for this season, and we’re so excited to get started with our new teammates and just have a blast this year.”
During their 2023 season, the Wolves went 4-22 with wins against Coon Rapids-Bayard, Ar-We-Va, Lawton-Bronson, and Logan-Magnolia. Carroll led the team in digs with 242, along with having eight assists, 28 kills, and a serve efficiency rate of 89.8%.
The Wolves did lose six seniors, including Ella Richards who led the team with 195 assists and 31 serve aces, along with Megan Williams who had the most kills with 146 and 40 blocks.
The Wolves are coached by McKaylie Croghan, whom Carroll has great respect for and maintains a strong relationship with on-and-off the court.
“She’s definitely a good coach,” Carroll said of Croghan. “We definitely respect her and she has a lot of different drills for us to work on. She’s been really helpful this year with picking up all the hitters and seeing where everyone is supposed to be at. She has been a big help with my hitting. Hitting is a major part in me. She’s always helped me figure out my swing and how to get better with everything.”
Carroll is also a superstar on the track team. She’s coming off a stellar sophomore season where she was tied with Caylie Rasmussen for the fastest time in the 200m dash with 28.00. Carroll was also known for being one of the best hurdlers on the team.
“We had a great bond this year,” Carroll said. “We had so many girls. It was great. We had a lot of fast girls. I think it helped our bond a lot with being together.”
Carroll got the opportunity to participate in the blue oval at Drake Stadium in Des Moines during the Track & Field State Championships in a relay race that featured her, Rasmussen, Taylor Beckendorf, and Oriah Meiners.
“That was great,” Carroll added. “I definitely had a lot of nerves going into it. It was a scary feeling because it was my first time at the blue oval being a sophomore and actually getting to go was awesome. Our team had a bond that nobody else really did. We stuck together the entire time. We had a great connection with each other.”
During the summer of her freshman season, Carroll was on the softball team where she batted .296 with a home run, eight runs batted in, with 16 hits, four of which were doubles and one triple. She also scored 16 runs and stole 11 bases. Carroll did not play her sophomore season, and is unsure of her future in softball at this time.
“This year was a gap year for us,” she said. “We had a new coach come in, and I think that took a little bit of getting used to, and I needed to fix some of the issues I had with my body during track. I’m hoping to return next year. I don’t know about the plan yet, but I’m hoping to return.”
With Carroll being halfway done with high school to this point, she can fondly look back on her time with IKM-Manning athletics. However with two years to go before graduation, she does have some big goals.
“I’m proud of my spot on the softball team,” she added. “I think I’ve worked my way up. With track, I built up some muscle and got to where I wanted to be. Getting to the oval was a goal of mine, and I’m proud of that. I definitely hope to get back to the blue oval this year for track. With volleyball, I’m hoping to get some good hits going, and make a bond with the new upcoming freshman, and hopefully our team can be just as great.”
Outside of athletics, Carroll loves the environment and atmosphere she is surrounded by and has made a lot of friends along the way.
“Everybody is really close,” Carroll said. “I know all of them, and I know them well. I know who I’m playing with, and I know how to help them if things get rough. It’s great to know how you can help other people and it’s definitely better in a small community where you know everybody and they know you.”
Even with her graduation still a few seasons away, after her high school days are behind her, Carroll hopes to leave behind a great legacy for future student athletes that come into IKM-Manning.
“I want to remember that we didn’t start where we are now,” Carroll added. “We definitely have built up a different type of team this year. I want them to remember that we had to prove ourselves when getting on varsity. You have to prove everything and you have to work really hard. All of our girls on varsity have worked hard for that spot and they’re all amazing people that are going to do great things in the future.”