Girls Lacrosse Co-Captain Grace Hammond ’23 began lacrosse at a young age, when her parents started her in a program. Instantly falling in love with the sport, Hammond continued playing ever since then.
When Hammond became a Co-Captain, she knew that the importance of supporting her fellow teammates could not be understated. Especially with many new underclassmen players this season, Hammond and her fellow Co-Captain Kiera Reidy ’23 decided to emphasize support and growth.
“Prior to coming into the season, Kiera and I really wanted everyone to feel confident. We graduated a lot of Seniors last year. So we wanted the underclassmen and people that were coming into more substantial roles on the team to feel confident. So we wanted, obviously, confidence to be a big thing on our team, that everyone felt respected and felt okay to make mistakes,” said Hammond.
According to Lauren Herlihy ’25, Hammond has shown the importance of working hard for what she wants. Herlihy plays two sports with Hammond, and her hard work and dedication in both sports are clear during both practices and meets.
Herlihy said, “As soon as I joined the lacrosse team last year, Grace was instantly my role model. I really look up to her. She does track too, I look up to her on the track and on the field. I think she just is a great example of what we stand for… For lacrosse, I think she really pushes me to be my best on the field and off the field and, trying to step up and be a leader myself. She’s just an amazing leader and I feel like she is the heart and soul of our team.”
Quiana Bell ’26 appreciates Hammond’s ability to maintain intensity while also enjoying time with her teammates. While Hammond gives her teammates feedback, she also jokes with them and is a friend.
Bell said, “During practice, if she’s not being serious, she’ll always joke with us. She’ll laugh with us. When we’re not in the drill and I just feel like it just shows that, yes, you can go hard, 100 percent. Yes, she coaches you during practice, [but] she is also there for you, as a Captain, as someone to talk to, which I feel [is] a really great quality.”
Herlihy shared similar sentiments to Bell, adding how the entire team views Hammond a mentor. She feels that Hammond’s feedback is extremely beneficial to the success of the team.
“I think Grace has a really good mix of being really caring for all her teammates but also giving us good constructive criticism on what we can do better on the field. I think she is definitely the person that everyone looks up to on the field…and [she] leads us to the games with all our energy and spirit going,” said Herlihy.
Hammond looks forward to continuing her academic and athletic career at Tufts University next year.
Hammond said, “I’m going to go play the D-III level, which I think is a perfect balance for me. So I can focus on academics too and I’m excited just to go compete more. [Tufts] has been second in the national championship for the past three years, and so I want to come in and maybe try to win one.”
