GALION — It will be home away from home when Miranda Stone heads off to college next fall.
Stone signed a letter of intent to throw shot and disc next year at Duke University. One thing set Duke apart from other suitors.
“Honestly, I felt at home on campus, even though it’s eight hours from actual home,” Stone said. “It just felt like home.”
After making nine campus visits, Stone narrowed the field to three — Kent State and Bowling Green were the other two.
Another factor was family history. Her late grandfather, Chuck Stone, played football at North Carolina State in Raleigh. The Blue Devils’ campus in Durham is about 30 miles away.
The two universities are rivals in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but not bitterly so. Both are archrivals of the University of North Carolina. So, Chuck’s family find it acceptable for Miranda to attend Duke.
“I’m going to quote mom (Chuck’s widow, Sandy). ‘Thank God it’s not Carolina,’” Miranda’s father, Chris said. “You’ll notice the shirt she’s wearing. She said, ‘I can wear Duke blue as long as it says, ‘Beat Carolina.’”
Miranda is a late bloomer of sorts when it comes to track and field. Her primary sport through early high school was swimming.
“I told my parents I’ve only devoted my life to (track) since I decided not to swim this year, which was August-September,” Miranda said. “I still have that newly found love for it.”
Prior to her immersion into track, Stone had a similar commitment to swimming.
“I always thought, I think everybody in my family thought, that if I’m going to college for a sport, it’s going to be swimming,” she said.
In fact, much of Miranda’s youth was spent preparing for that eventuality.
“It’s kind of crazy thinking about how much time, that my parents invested so much time driving me to places,” Miranda said. “But I fell like, after so many years, I got burned out.”
Grandpa Chuck, in addition to playing Division I football, was also accomplished in track and field, specifically throwing.
“Dad finished sixth at state (in shot) his junior year. She finished in the same spot,” Chris said. “In her eighth grade or freshman year, he actually started coaching her. He told her, ‘You’ll be better than me.’”
Unfortunately, Chuck passed away during Miranda’s sophomore year.
While finishing sixth in the state as a junior would be a dream for most high school track athletes, Miranda expected more of herself, even though weather was a factor.
“That was very upsetting,” she said. “Yes, I did go from not even making regionals (as a sophomore) to being all-Ohio. But, seeing how my (personal record) would have gotten me first — I know that not everybody had their best day, but if everyone had their best day, I would have gotten third.”
There was a silver lining to that cloud in that she matched the place of her grandfather.
“It’s really amazing to have that connection and he actually got sixth at state his junior year,” Miranda said. “And I didn’t even realize it, that we got the same place, until after everything was done. My family realized it as soon as it happened. It’s honestly a really cool thing and he’s actually the one who got me into track and field.
“My drive toward the sport is it’s a connection with him still.”
At Chuck’s funeral, former Bucyrus track coach, Tom Kottyan, offered to pick up where Chuck left off in mentoring Miranda, adding another bridge to the family’s past. Kottyan coached throwing for Chuck, Chris, and Chris’ brother Adam.
“It’s a great thing for Miranda, her family, Galion track and field, and Galion athletics in general,” Tigers’ track coach Ryan Scribner said. “She’s worked hard the last 3-4 years.”
Scribner called her one of the hardest working kids that he’s coached. And Scribner coaches both track and football, noting that Stone is mentally tough as well.
“It’s a great day for Duke University too because they’re not only getting a great student athlete, they’re just getting a great person in general.”
Stone has not declared a major yet since Duke does not permit students to select one until their sophomore year.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t keep doing track,” Stone said. “So, I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”