Grace MacNeil kicks it on the soccer field, on the tennis court, in the classroom and on campus at Laguna Blanca School.
This winter, she co-captained an Owls team that won a fourth straight Condor League title in soccer. In the fall, she was the No. 1 singles player on the tennis team.
The sports don’t get in the way of her studies as she carries a 4.34 GPA while taking a number of advanced placement courses.
MacNeil on Monday was honored at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon as Laguna Blanca’s recipient of the prestigious Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award.
If her academic demands and athletics weren’t enough, MacNeil is actively involved in student council on campus and is presdent of the junior class.
“Grace MacNeil is a leader who exemplifies humility, tenacity and courage,” Shane Lopes, leadership teacher and head of student council, said. “Both as an athlete and a student body leader, Grace consistently demonstrates that she is not afraid to put forth the effort and time needed to accomplish tasks that benefit others. Simply, put, Grace MacNeil leads by her actions.”
Soccer coach Kevin Shertzer said MacNeil was an excellent leader for the team. She is a three-year member of the varsity squad.
“She would do anything for anyone on the team, a lot of times without being asked,” he said. “One day it was really hot and she brought popsicles. On the field and off the field, she really cares about the team and would do anything for them.”
Tennis coach Rob Cowell called MacNeil “a doer. She doesn’t wait to see if someone else will solve a problem. She catches the problem early and finds the solution,” he said.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at {encode=”bpunzal@noozhawk.com” title=”bpunzal@noozhawk.com”}. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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