SEATTLE – On the day she broke records in triplicate – school, meet, and national – in the triple jump, Karin Grelsson's eyes weren't really open to the possibility of doing such a thing.
That's because they
had been open – pretty much wide-open – for the entirety of the previous night.
"I did not sleep one minute," Grelsson recalled of her restless May 1992 evening in San Angelo, Texas, site of that year's NCAA Division II Championships. "I remember saying, 'This is going to be the worst meet ever.'"
Instead, it turned out to be one of her best meets ever. From where she left the takeoff board inside Angelo State University's LeGrand Sports Complex to where she landed in the sand pit, Grelsson flew 43 feet, 8¼ inches.
It was a Seattle Pacific school record (and still is). An NCAA D2 meet record. And a Swedish national record for the native of Skelleftea in that Nordic country.
Title won. Records set.
Lesson learned. Eyes wide open.
"A lot of people get worked up when they can't sleep. Not to worry – you don't need sleep," Grelsson said, kind of laughing. "One night isn't going to throw you off."
Grelsson – now Karin Strong (pronounced CAR-in) – most certainly will be wide awake when she comes to claim another career honor on Saturday, Feb. 7. That's when she will be one of seven inductees into the SPU Athletics Hall of Fame.
The ceremony will take place in the on-campus E.E. Bach Theatre, beginning at 10:00 a.m. It is free to attend.
That will be the first event of a busy sports-oriented day at SPU. Also on the docket is a basketball doubleheader (women vs. Saint Martin's at 2:00 p.m.; men vs. Western Washington at 4:15).
The entire seven-member Hall of Fame class of inductees will be honored at halftime of both basketball games.
"I was really surprised – it was a pleasant surprise," Grelsson said of being chosen. "I was reflecting because I'm already 60, so it has been awhile. I miss the good old times at SPU. I had a really fun time going there."
AWARDS, TITLES COME IN BUNCHES
That multiple record-breaking triple jump performance netted the second in what would grow into a collection of five NCAA titles for Grelsson. Matter of fact, it also was her second on that NCAA weekend, as she also won the heptathlon. She also snagged silver in the long jump.
Grelsson would go on to capture another crown in the hep (1993) and two indoor triple jump titles (1993 and '94). By the time she had kicked up last bit of sand in the jumps or run her final step in the heptathlon 800 meters, Grelsson had a haul of nine All-American awards.
"The hep came along because I wasn't a superstar in any one event," she said. "That's usually the combination for a heptathlete or decathlete, you're pretty good at all of them. My specialty was the long and the triple jump, and that's a good combination.
"But I think the hep is why I was able to do it for so long because it's a well-rounded workout. And I wasn't really injured during my whole career, either."
Not only did Grelsson accomplish all of that, but she did it in just two seasons – after Seattle Pacific became the third stop of her college career.
She started at Lamar in Beaumont, Texas, in 1995. That was not a good fit. She next wound up at the University of California, Irvine, and spent two years there doing not only track, but also soccer. She set school records in the hep (5,367 points; still No. 4 on the UCI list), triple jump (40 feet, 9½ inches; still No. 2), and even set two single-season scoring records in soccer. (29 points; still No. 8, and 11 goals; still co-No. 9).
In fact, while she was at Irvine, Grelsson met Steve Strong, now her husband of 30 years, and with whom she shares daughters Stephanie (25) and Isabelle (21).
Grelsson left Irvine after two years, traveled, and did some Alpine skiing. It was that particular pursuit on the mountains that spurred her to get serious on the track again.
"I was in really good shape from skiing, and I said, 'I guess maybe I should do another round (of track) and try to get better,'" Grelsson recalled.
Steve is from Seattle, so they came here. Grelsson initially inquired at the University of Washington, but because of her age (then 27) and the fact that it would have been her second transfer, she couldn't compete there.
Someone suggested that she try SPU. Grelsson reached out to legendary coach Ken Foreman.
"I knocked on Coach Foreman's door," she recalled. "It was positive. I like tough coaches, and he had a really good reputation and was an Olympic coach. … I wasn't really intimidated by him. It was more (a matter of) respect."
Added former SPU coach Jack Hoyt, now head coach at Azusa Pacific, "Karin was calm and cool. But she was also incredibly competitive with the heart of a champion. She is the only athlete that I've seen able to handle the physical demands of the heptathlon, and then pile on the event (the triple jump) that usually breaks people in half -- and not only survive, but thrive."
Once here, Grelsson had no particular expectations.
"I think I was just happy to get to do track," she said. "My training group in my small hometown all quit, and I was the only one. I really enjoyed working in a group, and I had great training partners (at SPU). We would go to West Seattle (Stadium), then go up to the Queen Anne Bowl (a few blocks from campus)."
Grelsson continued competing for the Swedish national team after finishing up at Seattle Pacific. She loves cross country skiing, has done a couple of triathlons, enjoys hiking, and now plays pickleball. After completing her degree at SPU, she took a job as an auditor at a large accounting firm with a regional office in Seattle.
"It was super compared to going to school in Texas and Irvine," said Grelsson, who also won back-to-back SPU Athlete of the Year awards in 1992 and '93. "As far as academics, SPU was a great fit for me. And it was an honor to have Ken and Doris as coaches."
The 2026 SPU Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted on February 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. inside E.E. Bach Theatre. This event is free to attend. The 2026 SPU Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be honored at halftime of both the men's and women's basketball games inside Royal Brougham Pavilion at 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., later that day.
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