The meaning of Grace
Ex-volleyballer Hagemaster’s dedication lifts Lincoln-Way East
Ex-volleyballer Hagemaster’s dedication lifts Lincoln-Way East.
Lincoln-Way East junior Grace Hagemaster has always been a swimmer and a volleyball player, which forced her to make a tough choice.
With both sports’ high school seasons taking place in the fall, she decided to play volleyball as a freshman and give herself a break from swimming between her winter and summer club seasons.
By the time her sophomore year rolled around last year, though, it was clear to Hagemaster she wanted to swim for the Griffins.
“As much as I love volleyball, I knew in my heart that swimming is what I want to do,” she said. “I’ve always loved the water.
“Those swimming practices, no matter how hard they are, there’s nothing like them. I really love them and I wanted to be a part of the team here at East.”
Hagemaster made a major impact in her first season with the Griffins, helping them win SouthWest Suburban and Lincoln-Way Central Sectional championships.
She finished 11th in the state in the 100-yard backstroke and swam on East’s state-qualifying 200-yard medley relay.
“I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to be since I wasn’t on the team my freshman year,” she said. “All the girls really took me in with open arms, though.
“The season was so much fun with the girls. It was really fun to have a good season individually, but it was also fun to see all the girls grow, see how well the team did — all the records we broke and stuff like that.”
Hagemaster’s modest expectations quickly grew as the season went on.
“I didn’t have the greatest club season last summer, so I was just going into the high school season hoping to do the best I could,” she said. “State wasn’t really a focus for me.
“About halfway through the season, coach (Kate) Gabey was like, ‘You do realize you’re going to make it to state, right?’ It was like, ‘Oh wow.’ I was able to focus and prepare from that point on.”
Hagemaster not only made it to state, she cracked the top 12 in the 100 backstroke and earned the chance to swim on the final day of the season, finishing 11th.
“I was just happy to swim at state,” she said. “Making finals wasn’t really even a goal. Getting there and getting a chance to represent East was a great feeling. It was great to know my hard work paid off.”
Gabey feels Hagemaster is just scratching the surface of her potential.
“She transitioned really well to being a part of the high school team,” Gabey said. “She had a great high school season, a great club season, and she’s just building off that.
“She’s going to keep improving, do big things and go on to swim in college.”
Hagemaster also is grateful to have a chance to compete this fall.
Over the summer, with lockdowns ongoing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, she was a part of a group of swimmers who reached out to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to ask him to open up the pools.
“Me and my friends, swimming is our social setting,” she said. “It’s where we see our friends and all that. It’s a big part of how I maintain my mental health. A lot of us need the sport to be ourselves and have an outlet.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen this season, if we’re going to get to have a state meet or not, but I’m just excited to get a chance to be in the pool and race.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.