Grace Gapen '26 Recruiting Profile

Hi! My name is Grace Gapen. I am now going to be in the class of 2026 student at Greenwich Country Day School transferring from Sacred Heart Greenwich. This year and last year I was a starter/all around outside on the varsity volleyball team. Highschool volleyball was a big transition from playing middle school volleyball so not only did the teams get tougher it also grew my knowledge of the sport. At the end of the season in 2021 I won recognition from the Fairchester Athletic Association.  This year during the 2022 season my accomplishments were MVP, all-league in NEPSACS, and first team for FAA

For the past three years I have been playing for Greenwich Volleyball Club, and sometimes is asked to play up. Playing up definitely challenged me from the competition being harder, playing with girls I don’t usually play with to playing a position I never played before and having less than 5 practices to get used to it. In the 2021 season and 2022 season, I was awarded MVP for my team. The 2022 club season was by far my most accomplished season. Not only was I MVP but I was also chosen by the coaches to be team captain which I was beyond grateful for and I was also an all-tourney team U15 MVP for the Mohegan Sun tournament. I have just made a switch to play for Downstate 16 Black for this upcoming club season.

Although I am an outside hitter and occasionally a right side, I do find defense something I enjoy just as much. If I were asked to pick between defense and hitting I would not be able to choose. I am excited to keep learning and excited to see how far I am able to go in volleyball. Both of my parents were college athletes so I have heard my whole life how it's a great opportunity to excel at something you love and have a passion for.

Volleyball is not the only sport that I do. 2022 was my first year doing track and field. Track and field would not be a sport I would have picked to do, so my parents and athletic director had to kind of push me into doing it. They wanted me to do field events for two reasons: it would help me in volleyball and the second reason is that they thought I would be good at it. I walked into the first day of track not even knowing what a shot and disc is and not even wanting to be there. As I got further into the season I grew to love the sport. I was upset when I had to miss meets. I am now an FAA champion for shot and disc and an All-League in shot and disc.