A change of pace has been thematic throughout Grace Martin’s athletic career leading up to high school, and it was the final shift that allowed her to accelerate as an athlete and leader through any hurdles on and off the field.

The North Haven field hockey 2023 senior captain and left midfielder played soccer during elementary school, before a desire to try something new led her to cross country in middle school. Then, upon arriving on the NHHS campus, she wanted to shake it up a bit yet again and decided upon field hockey for her freshman fall, and stayed put ever since.

After missing a good portion of her junior campaign with mono and an enlarged spleen, Grace moved her way back to the turf, and she helped guide the Nighthawks to a five-win campaign in 2023.

“With field hockey, I just loved the team; I had many friends on the team, and we became closer through it. There was a good energy with the team and everyone felt welcomed. I love everything about the team,” says Grace. “Practicing over the summer before this year helped me a lot. I did summer camps and clinics after missing most of last year, and it was my first camp game where I touched a stick and I started dribbling the ball, and just fell back into the groove.”

Hovering back and forth between offense and defense on the midfield, Grace certainly logs some miles with her legs, but she is always there to help corner away a threat on defense, while simultaneously many times on plays, getting some help from her friends.

“I love going up and scoring, but then going back to help on defense,” says Grace. “I was a flier this year, who is someone that runs out to stop the ball on corners. It is great to help growth on both ends of the field. It is tiring sometimes to run the full field, but there is always someone to back me up and push me even when I am tired. I felt motivated by the team.”

Noting that her fellow squad stewards from this fall helped her boost her morale mentally, Grace notes that her preseason prep with her cardiovascular work opened up the door to focus more on her skill set and fundamentals to produce with the ball on her stick.

“We ran a mile every practice, but I also ran a mile four times a week during the summer, so that left me more time to focus on my stick skills rather than my stamina,” Grace says. “My co-captains are my best friends, so that definitely helped put me in a good mental state. We were always motivating each other, and everyone on this team had a positive experience I feel. It felt like a family; we really helped everyone by building that bond. We had a good sense of community, and it showed on the field.”

Humbled by being selected among her peers to take the helm of the Nighthawks as a captain, Grace was extra motivated to make practices, drills, and games something her teammates wanted to do, rather than something they just had to do to fulfill an obligation.

“It was an honor to be captain. The captains wanted to make it a community this year and make practices something they felt excited about going to every day,” says Grace. “There was a lot of pressure as a captain, but I just told myself that I got this and I had the confidence of my teammates since they voted for me as captain.”

While taking on the toughest teams in the always-stacked and deep Southern Connecticut Conference, Grace and the Nighthawks shined with some signature victories, which fostered not only a good collective mind frame, but also a foundation for individual progression.

“We beat Lyman Hall to start the year, which was a huge win for us and we were doing well. We played some challenging teams and got into a funk, but then we were able to bounce back by beating Morgan,” says Grace. “The win helped keep the girls’ spirits up, and it showed them that we had to keep pushing forward as a team. I think individually, we saw a lot of growth; a lot of players had their stick skills get better.”

North Haven Head Coach Kim Bouffard details that in terms of galvanizing the team and garnering respect as a leader for Grace, it all fell into place, thanks in large part to her consistent efforts on the field and dedication to her craft.

"Grace truly embodies what it means to be a remarkable team leader. Her dedication and hard work on the field hockey team were evident in every practice and game," says Bouffard. "She commanded respect from her teammates with her unwavering commitment and positive attitude. As a coach, it was an absolute pleasure to have her on the team."

In getting ready to depart North Haven, Grace reflects that her time on the turf conveyed the pivotal and powerful impact positivity can have on the daily efforts of an individual to hit their highest goals.

“I learned through sports that you have to stay positive,” Grace says. “In my time here, we never had the best record, but we took some big wins this year. Using that positive mindset has kept me working harder and bringing it all four years.”