Forever Grateful

When Grace Griffin was in high school, she was a top lacrosse recruit in the state of Maryland, and the No. 16 player in her entire class, according to Inside Lacrosse. However, the Sykesville native never considered coming to College Park to play lacrosse. That was until her coach made her make one phone call.

"My coach made me call Cathy [coach Reese],” Griffin said, "and I think we talked for about 40 minutes. From there it was done."

Fast forward five years and Griffin is leading the No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse team in her fifth season as a graduate student. She also has a list of accolades that includes just about everything any women’s lacrosse player can have. 

She started her career in College Park in 2018 in incredible fashion, winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award.

Now it’s three years later, and she is a First Team All-Big Ten honoree, an Inside Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention, and an IWLCA Third Team All-American. In addition to those awards, she has been a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the nation’s top lacrosse player, each of the last three years.

“If you told me senior year of high school that this would happen, I would not have believed you,” Griffin said.

But it hasn’t just been her performances on the field that have been noticed. Griffin was one of the 28 recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor for the 2020-21 academic year on top of winning the Maryland Student-Athlete of the Year.

“I think it’s really special,” she said. “Both academically and athletically being able to be honored, that was really satisfying.”

A balanced attack and a stellar defense have propelled the Terps to a dominant 11-1 record. And Griffin has been at the center of it all and has already done something that no one in the program's history has done: be a three-time captain. 

“It’s a huge honor, and it goes back to the amazing women I’m surrounded with now and those who have come through here,” she said. “I hope to pass it down to all the women who come after me.”

Griffin was named captain back in January, along with five-year roommate graduate defender Torie Barretta and graduate transfers Abby Bosco and Aurora Cordingley. Both Griffin and Barretta have been in the program for five seasons, but this will be Barretta’s first year serving as a captain. She says she’s already learning from the veteran captain.

“Having Grace by my side is great,” Barretta said. “She's a three-time captain, so she's helping me become a great captain. I couldn't ask for a better partner in all of it.” 

Barretta has grown into her role as a leader for this year’s Terrapin team over her career in College Park, but Reese said she knew right away that Griffin was exactly what she needed.

“We just knew Grace was going to be the perfect fit for Maryland Lacrosse. She had all the characteristics of a Maryland midfielder.”

Reese has had a lot of great Maryland midfielders. Just recently, the United States Women’s Lacrosse National Team released their 18-woman roster for the upcoming World Lacrosse Championships. Former Maryland midfielder, Taylor Cummings (‘16) was named to the team, along with three other Terp alumni Lizzie Colson (‘21), Megan Douty (‘15), and Alice Mercer (‘16). And with Griffin’s performances on the field and the way she was able to help guide her team through the era of COVID-19, Reese says she’s up there with those great Terps. 

“She’s definitely one of them [the best],” Reese said. “It’s nothing any of us have ever gone through, and she was able to step up and be a leader.”

All of those lacrosse alums and Griffin are just a few of the elite female athletes to have come to Maryland. The university has many top-notch women’s athletic programs, and multiple have been on full display recently. Brend Freese and the women’s basketball team made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament, the women’s field hockey team made it to the Final Four, and the women’s gymnastics team made the NCAA regionals. Griffin said that is a huge plus to her and her experience at the school. 

“We don’t talk about it enough and sometimes we take it for granted,” Griffin said. “There is a level of connection that is just special.”

Amongst all of the incredible female athletes all over the campus, Griffin is one of them. And Reese says that it is not only her fantastic plays and stats that make her stand out. 

“She just always does the right thing and works hard on and off the field,” said Reese. “She wants to do well in everything that she does, and that’s important to her. Her personality is one that’s caring and compassionate, but passionate about what she’s doing, whether that’s being a good student, being a good teammate, a good daughter, or a good friend.”

The No. 9 ranked women’s lacrosse team is entering the home stretch of the regular season. For Griffin, it means that the clock is ticking on her Maryland career. But she isn’t focused on that.

“I just want to take it moment by moment,” she said. “I am grateful every time I get to put that Maryland uniform on.”

The run of conference games for the Terps is up there with the toughest run of games any team in the country can have. The Big Ten boasts four teams in the Inside Lacrosse Top 25 poll, including Maryland, and every team ranks in the top 30 of the NCAA RPI. And although the games will be difficult, Griffin says that no matter what happens this season, there is one word that she will use to describe her career. 

“I’ve been saying it this whole time, and that’s grateful. I will forever be grateful.”