Sarah  Grace  Raynes

Playing Field Hockey at Wake Forest University  Fall of 2023
The Kinkaid Middle School
The Kinkaid School (2019 - 2023) 
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Profile Link
From Sarah Grace: 
1.Favorite Field Hockey Memory? Why?
  • From the countless hours spent at the indoor facility to the many miles that we annually flew to participate in what seemed like every field hockey tournament under the sun, it is incredibly difficult to pinpoint an exact memory that stands out among the rest. Spending hours scootering around downtown Richmond, sneaking out to get Duck Donuts, desperately trying to stay awake during the 6 am bus rides to the field, eating panera for almost ever meal - these are all staple moments of the Texas Pride experience. In terms of the actual field hockey aspect, I will say that I will never forget our Disney 2022 tournament. Taking the championship trophy after shootouts and being able to celebrate as a team really encapsulated the true joy of the sport - the team. I have loved watching my teammates grow from girls to young women that lead with confidence and grace and I cannot wait to watch their continued development.

​2.What was your most exciting recruiting experience?
  • I never believed that I could actually be recruited to play for a college; I had always had it in my head that I was never good enough to play at such a high level. So, when Wake offered me on June 15th, I was ecstatic. I loved everything about the campus, program, and academics; in fact, after that call, I had pretty much made up my mind that Wake Forest was the school that I was going to go to.

​3.Why are you playing field hockey in college?
  • I love the structure and discipline that it takes to play field hockey (or really any sport). My college coach, Jen, has always said that it is important to view "sport as the vehicle to prepare oneself for life," and I completely agree.
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4.What have you done this summer to prepare?
  • I followed my running and lifting packet until I arrived at summer school, which is when I did workouts with the team and practiced for the fitness tests with them.

5.If you could give one piece of advice to younger girls who want to play field hockey in college, what would it be?
  • If you can't do something with confidence, just do it scared. There were so many moments throughout my time at Pride where I felt fearful about the future and about my development. In these moments, I would shy away from risk. You don't need to be the most confident person to play or grow; you just need to be willing to try.​

6.Who was the most influential person in high school?
  • Tina has taught me everything I know about the game. Providing both tactical and technical knowledge of field hockey, she truly knows how to build a team. And, most importantly, she knows how to push her players to reach the highest standards.

7.Favorite post practice/ game snack?
  • Oranges

8.What pre game rituals do you use to hype yourself up before a game?
  • I like to dance and listen to music. I honestly suck at dancing but it helps me shake the nerves out, especially when I can do it with a teammate like Emily.

9.What made you want to be a college field hockey player?
  • The fact that I could not imagine my life without a team. I really thrive when I have the support of others and I truly could not imagine not playing field hockey in college.

10.What was one of the toughest experiences?
  • Knowing that I would eventually have to say good-bye to some of my closest teammates was very challenging. We had grown up playing field hockey together, and it seemed so foreign that there would be a time when I would play with people that were not my Pride teammates. We knew everything about each other's play styles and how we felt on the field; it is very difficult to know that we won't ever play together again.

11.Year you began playing field hockey? How?​​
  • ​I started playing in 2016 after being convinced by the one and only Mia Abello that field hockey was the greatest sport on the planet. Without her encouragement, or coercion, whichever you want to call it, I would have never started playing, and I am forever grateful to Mia that she did, in fact, convinced me.

From Tina:
Favorite Sarah Grace Moment (old) / why?:
  • SG always played Left back. She was always so diligent and coachable in the position and grew into a very strong left back at a young age

Favorite Sarah Grace moment (new)/ why? :
  • SG had a strong senior year and grew in her role from a left back to playing center back. She stepped up with her communication and stepped up in her skills and distribution abilities to help our team have a very successful senior year at Disney, Nit's and NCC's.

​Story we will forever tell about Sarah Grace:
  • SG is one of the fastest defenders we ever had. It was never as evident how fast she was until she couldn't get beat by forwards. She was extrmely fast on her recovery and would bust her butt to get back and cover her player. We spend a lot of time training left backs and SG is one of the strongest left backs we've had in our organization.

Favorite Sarah Grace recruiting moment/ why? First memory of Mia / why?
  • ​Sarah Grace was very thorough in her recruiting process and received a lot of interest after June 15th. She had a lot of options and somehow, Wake just stuck out as the top choice for her. She visited and it was over within two weeks.

First memory of Sarah Grace? :
  • ​I remember SG when she was on our youth travel teams. Her family was always so supportive of our program and such a pleasure to have at all of our events. SG always did a great job as a defender from the start even when she was 10 years old :)