Courtesy of Mike Orazzi
Camel of the Edition is a series which seeks to highlight extraordinary Connecticut College athletes who have stood out from the herd due to their recent performances or as a leader on campus or on their team.
Grace McDonough ’26 is a standout on the women’s cross-country team. The junior from Londonderry, New Hampshire has led the Camels to strong finishes in the team’s last two meets, individually finishing 13 at the DIII Pre-Nationals and 26 at the Connecticut College Invitational. With her performances on the course and in the classroom, McDonough was placed on the NESCAC All-Academic team in 2023 and competed individually for the NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field Championships last spring.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with McDonough to hear about why she chose to be a Camel, where the success of women’s cross country is coming from and how Conn can guarantee themselves another spot in the DIII championship this season.
Could you please introduce yourself?
I’m Grace McDonough. I am a junior, and I use she/her pronouns. I major in human development and psychology with a minor in education and am part of the Public Health pathway. On campus, I am a team representative for One Love and I am also involved with Caring Camels and Active Minds.
Tell me about your sporting journey and when cross country became your focus.
Growing up, my parents took my sister and me to fun runs over the summer when we were young and that got me into running initially. Then, I started doing cross country and track in elementary and middle school. Ever since then, I kind of just fell in love with the sport, and I did it through high school, and I am lucky enough to now be doing it in college.
What was your recruitment process like, and why did you end up deciding on Conn?
When I was looking at schools, I was prioritizing academics, so I wanted to find a school that I could fall in love with, and being able to run there was just a bonus. When I toured Conn, the people really stood out to me on tours and in meetings with the coach and team. I think it was cool finding a school where I loved the campus and the people while still being able to run. With the school being DIII, it was nice knowing that running could just be fun without adding on too much stress.
Can you talk a little bit about One-Love and what you do as a team representative?
One Love is a non-profit national organization focused on promoting healthy relationships and also being able to identify signs of unhealthy relationships. On Conn’s campus, we are focused on getting every athlete One Love trained, which is important because everyone is involved in relationships, whether that be friendships, family, or romantic relationships. As a team representative, I help facilitate my team’s One Love training and promote the message across campus. We have One Love-sponsored games for every sport, so it is my job to encourage people to come out and share One Love’s message that everyone can be in and support healthy relationships!
How do you spend your off-season in terms of training?
We are lucky enough to run three seasons a year because of cross country and indoor and outdoor track, so the offseason is mainly the summer. The summers are a really cool time where you can just focus on running for fun and getting in a good mileage pace to be built upon in the fall.
How do you prepare for your meets? Do you have any rituals or superstitions?
Our team always writes what we call “Psych-ups” to each other every week. We get randomly assigned another teammate to write a little pump-up note, which is really appreciated because on race day, we pass them out, and it’s nice to get words of encouragement before you’re all stressed out on the day of.
What is your favorite distance to run and why?
In cross country, it is either a 5k or 6k, but I think I might lean towards 6k’s. Even though they are longer, and I am more of a mid-distance girl at heart, 6k’s are fun because they mean it’s the end of the season. As you get further into the season, we start running only 6k’s and that means we are getting into championship season. I think that extra 1,000 sometimes divides people, so its extra challenge makes it more attractive in some ways.
Last year, you were placed on the NESCAC All-Academic team. What was it like receiving that award, and what does it mean to you?
It is really cool because at the end of the season, our coach reads out all the names that were on the All-Academic team and every year we have a lot of people on our team who get that recognition. It is really cool being on a team where everyone is dedicated inside and outside the classroom. It makes it a lot easier and more fun to be on a team that cares about academics, running, and each other!
This year you have set multiple personal bests, what about this year feels different for you, and what other goals do you have for this year?
I think something which is really cool is that our team is very young. Last year, we had a lot of very strong first-years, and now that they are sophomores, they have a little bit more experience. My class year, now that we are juniors, we also are pretty strong, so it’s cool being able to work together with a strong team who are all hungry. Last year we had a good breakout season, and this year, we want to build on that. I think we have really good young energy, which helps me get better, but also everyone around me. We never know who is going to be in what place, but I think that helps us all work together and get better together at practice and on meet days.
How much of your success do you attribute to your team, coaching staff, friends, family, etc.?
I would definitely say all of my success can be attributed to other people because if it weren’t for those others, I wouldn’t be challenging myself. I wouldn’t have motivation. Whether it be my friends outside of cross country who wish me good luck, my teammates who I am working with every day at practice, or my family members who wish me good luck. I think I am so lucky to have such a supportive crew of people behind me that make it worthwhile and help me get better every day!
How has this season been for the team so far?
We have had a really good start to our season! We have had good team finishes at some pretty big meets. We just hosted our home meet, which was the most competitive I think it’s ever been, and we finished pretty well as a team. I would say there is always room for improvement, so we are excited to head into the championship part of our season and continue to compete against tough schools.
Last year the team placed 28th in the DIII Championship, the first time placing since the 2016 season. Where has all of this success come from and where do you think it is going in the future?
I think with cross country, a big thing is building confidence and experience. In college, the 6k is a new distance, so with a young team, you have advantages and disadvantages. You don’t have as much experience, even just adjusting to college life in general, so I think we have a lot to build on there. I also think our team is really big, so it is nice that everyone has a role. Last year at nationals, people who weren’t competing still made a road trip to cheer us on and I think that really speaks to the future of our team. We have a really deep team, so you never know who is going to have a very successful training block over the summer and come to help you over the next year. I think in the future, relying on the depth of our team and building on the energy that we have started to create over the past two years makes me very hopeful.
Does the team have any team bonding activities or traditions?
We have a couple of trips we make during the season. We make a trip to Mystic for an event called ‘Garlicfest,’ which is really niche but fun. We also go apple picking or make some trips to the beach, so that’s a really fun but important part of building team chemistry and a good atmosphere outside of just running.
Which competitions are you looking forward to?
Our regional meet is definitely an important one because it determines if we make nationals, which is a big season-ending goal. It is also hosted at home, so that is really exciting. Personally, I am most excited for our NESCAC championship meet. We are lucky to be in such a competitive conference, and I think that meet always has such good energy around it. I love when all the NESCAC schools come together and are cheering each other on. We are also going to Bowdoin which should be a fun overnight trip!
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Please reach out to The College Voice (thecollegevoice@gmail.com or @the_collegevoice on Instagram) to nominate an athlete for the next edition!
