Queen Anne’s County Girls Lacrosse Coach Penelope Santos Bates considers two-sport standout Grace Sweetak the perfect role model. Sweetak carries a 4.7 weighted grade-point average, knows what she wants to major in college, and excels at off-the-field activities.
“She is very inspiring to me,” Santos Bates says. “I always look at her and I think, ‘How does she become so successful and how do I get my players to be as dedicated as she is?”
One of the most impressive things about the senior is how keen an eye she has for her future.
She plans on majoring in physics at Rollins College in Florida—where she will attend the school on a lacrosse scholarship—and wants to be a physicist. “I like the feeling when there is just one answer to a problem,” Sweetak explains. “I find it enjoyable when I solve a problem. I don’t get confused or worked up easily. So, I keep my cool and solve problems and work through difficult concepts by just breaking it down and looking at it in the simplest form.”
Sweetak’s talents resulted in a unique grant project for the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, where she volunteers as a camp counselor.
Sweetak and her brother, Jack, checked the water and air quality in ponds around the Grasonville area. “The water quality was for NASA,” says Sweetak, who serves as president of the National Honor Society chapter at her school. “They are creating a national database for scientists looking for easily collectible data.”
Someone with her mind for science was in high demand with colleges. The 17-year-old Sweetak picked Rollins after being recruited by George Washington, Randolph Macon, and Georgetown.
Division II Rollins started its program a decade ago and plays in the Sunshine State Conference. The Tars went 26-9 over the past two seasons.
“I wanted to be on a team where I could compete for a national championship,” says Sweetak, who plays defense. “And I love their coaches. They have given me a new perspective on things. They expect a lot out of you, but they aren’t harsh. They are very motivational.”
Santos Bates adds: “There’s no doubt she will be an impact player because of her intensity level, focus, and determination.”
The 5-foot-5 Sweetak made an impact on the Lions’ varsity lacrosse team as a freshman when she earned a starting berth. Her junior year was her best. She earned First-Team All-Bayside Conference honors and led the team in caused turnovers and ranked among the leaders in ground balls. “She has great instincts and matches up well with the high-level players,” Santos Bates says. “She has been matching up with these players for years and is very good at it. She has no fear. She will take on anybody.”
Santos Bates also values Sweetak for her leadership skills.
Sweetak is a strong candidate to be co-captain this season. She served in that role for the cross country team the past two years.
“She is a great leader and is very intense,” Santos Bates says. “She is working hard at practice no matter if its freezing cold, hot, or she is sick.”
Sweetak also developed her lacrosse skills playing for Chesapeake Club Lacrosse for five years. She has traveled to tournaments around the state and as far away as Florida. “Going out and playing against top-level players has made her the player she is,” Santos Bates says.
Sweetak spent four years on the Queen Anne’s varsity cross county team as one of Lions top runners, and her senior year was her best. She placed eighth in Cross Country Crab Invitational and 12th in the Rumble in the Jungle Invitational.
The Lion helped Queen Anne’s to the regional championship. “She was always in our top five, and she steadily improved over her four years,” Queen Anne’s Cross Country Coach Mark Wilhelm says. “Every year, she seemed to get a little bit faster. If someone had a bad race, she was always able to pick up and make up for that.”
The senior also enjoyed her leadership role on the team.
“For the past two years, I organized spaghetti dinners for the Bayside Conference championship meet,” she recalls. “The whole team showed up and built up some team spirit before we went. It helped us a lot this year because the girls team took second and the boys team was third.”
Wilhelm adds: “Her leadership helped make the team stronger. I have coached for 19 years, and she is one of the top leaders I’ve had.”
