Grace Rebak ’22 sprints up the field, her white jersey shining and her lacrosse stick glinting in the sunlight. With astounding athleticism, she catches up to the opposing team's offense and blocks their shot, passing it to the forward on her team. The crowd watches intently as the ball flies straight into the net.

Rebak started playing lacrosse for the first time in fourth grade for the Princeton Girls Lacrosse Club. Later, with the same girls on the PGLC, she started playing field hockey at Princeton Middle School. In middle school, she also joined the Princeton Field Hockey Club and the Ultimate Lacrosse Club, further enhancing her skills in both sports.

“I started playing then with a lot of the girls that I still play with today. So we kind of build that strong chemistry early on,” Rebak said.

In high school, Rebak also joined the PHS Girls Ice Hockey team, further shaping her well-rounded athletic abilities. In addition, her technique and commitment to all sports grew as her training schedule became increasingly rigorous. Varsity Girls Lacrosse and Field Hockey Coach Katie Federico has noticed her growth over the years.

“She's really grown a lot. She was a little more timid on the field before and as she got older and more experienced, she became much more aggressive. And she just made that presence,” said Federico. “She also grew as a leader. I find that Grace has a very calm demeanor, but has a way of getting her point across to the point where all the girls on the team look up to her, including her fellow seniors.”

In all three sports, Rebak feels that both the footwork and defense techniques apply similarly. For an easier transition between seasons, Rebak is diligent with practicing her footwork between seasons. To stay fit outside of sports, Rebak has a set cross-training workout.

“I usually lift six days [each week] and then have a rest day. We don’t have [designated lifting] for our teams, but I think we definitely should. It definitely builds up strength in different areas where you don’t have the opportunity to playing on the field. And then I’ll do other things like swimming for rest and recovery,” Rebak said.

Her athletic achievements have not gone unnoticed, as Rebak has earned numerous accolades during her career. She made the 2018 and 2019 All-County First Team for field hockey and earned the Unsung Player award in 2019. Furthermore, her field hockey teammates awarded her the Most Coachable Player Award in her freshman year.

“She is always putting 110 percent into everything she does. This year, she even had a severely sprained ankle, and could barely walk coming off the field, but put in that effort [regardless],” Federico said.

Varsity Girls Lacrosse and Varsity Field Hockey player Kayla Christopher ’23 has been on both teams with Rebak. She sees her work ethic also manifest in her leadership style.

“I would say Grace is a great leader. She pushes everyone to improve through her own skill and her determination. She is also an effective communicator and makes everyone on the field feel welcome,” Christopher said.

In addition to being successful in sports, Grace is also involved in numerous extracurricular activities. She is a Peer Group Leader, the president of the PHS Lunch with Friends Club, and a participant in the 101: Fund, a PHS college scholarship program. In order to balance three sports, schoolwork, and extracurriculars, Rebak has found that her activities create a concrete schedule for herself,

“Ice hockey was before school, so it’s pretty hard to get up. But after school, I like that it left me time to do my work,” said Rebak. “And then with lacrosse and field hockey, it gave me more structure because I would go to school, then go to practice, and then do my homework after. So in that way, it actually helped grades and [extracurriculars].”

All her hard work paid off in high school as Rebak is committed to Division III lacrosse and field hockey at Williams College. Looking forward to her time at Williams, she wants to forge lasting relationships with her new teammates and improve her skills in both sports. .

“I actually don't have a preference [between all three], which is part of the reason I actually chose to play both [field hockey and lacrosse] in college. I would obviously play hockey if I could, but I can't play [all] three. So I chose the two and I'm super happy that I chose to do it because I don't think I would be able to play only one,” Rebak said.