Athletes of the Issue: Grace El-Fishawy: Terrific Track Star

El-Fishawy recalled, “I’ve always loved running and had been running recreationally with my dad for years before I ever joined Hopkins Track.”

El-Fishawy prospers in an environment where enthusiasm and persistence allow advancement. According to Varsity Track Head Coach Julia Rowny, “Grace’s best attributes as a captain are her love of running, her dedication to her teammates, and her willingness to work hard to improve… Her work has been an inspiration to the team; Grace really cares that each girl has a positive experience both as a runner and as a teammate, and her teammates look up to her because of that care.” 

El-Fishawy’s personality allows her to be a strong leader. According to Sophie Sonnenfeld ’21, a teammate, “Grace is such an inspiring team captain! Her positivity and enthusiasm about track is motivating as she works hard at every practice and really cares about each aspect of the team.”

Drew Slager ’21 agreed with Sonnenfeld: “Grace is a kind, funny, and inspiring captain that I have had the honor to be on a team with. She is caring and her love of running inspires me to push myself beyond my limits.”

El-Fishawy’s CoCaptain, Lilly Tipton ’18, commented on El-Fishawy’s crucial role in the team: “I am so grateful to have had Grace as a friend and cocaptain and I can’t even begin to image what the team would be like without her.”

Despite El-Fishawy’s obvious successes, injuries have caused difficulties in her Hopkins career; she has not been able to participate in New Englands since she was in eighth grade. According to Rowny, she still worked diligently: “Grace was injured for several seasons and was unable to run, but she worked tirelessly at her physical rehab. Having the patience to go through all of that work was worth it for her, since she has now returned to doing something she loves.”

El-Fishawy looks forward to the challenges of the current season: “With a new coach and a relatively young team I think this season holds a lot of potential for us. I’d hope to see as many of my teammates as possible qualify for the New England championship meet and I’d hope to have the chance to race there myself…More than that though, I hope to finish this season knowing that I gave it everything and made the most of the short time I have left at Hopkins.”

El-Fishawy does not intend to keep running on a varsity team at the collegiate level; however, she stated, “My plan, as of now, is to run club Cross Country and Track, and to continue training on my own!”