As the Class of 2023 gets ready to throw their caps in the air, we would be remiss not to profile senior athlete Bridget McGrath for the June 2023  issue of The Streak. 

McGrath has put her heart and soul into the Warren Hills Track and Field Team since her freshman year. She has broken numerous records for the school, including setting a personal record in the 800 meter and breaking a school record in the process. She also achieved the school record for the Cross Country 2-mile race, as well as their 3000m race. 

McGrath said the best thing about running track is challenging herself.

“It’s extremely rewarding because it’s based on an individual’s own success,” she said. “Like when you get a good time it’s because you put in the hard work while with a team it is just that with a team. I feel like it is more rewarding to work hard and then get that pay off I wanted.”  

McGrath has also been a star student throughout high school and is ranked in the top fifteen of the Class of 2023. 

“This year I have four AP classes and last year I took three,” she said. “It is helpful because the practices ate not that long, so I am able to get home and have the whole night to focus on my school work. For as long as I remember I have always been running. I would come home and immediately go and run, as much as it is painful it feels so good to finish a hard workout.”

McGrath has had many highlights of her high school track career, and many more to come. 

“The night before the Skylands Conference a member of my close family passed away, but I still had to attend the meet,” she said. “But that was the first time this year that I broke my personal record. Which was a huge moment for me.” 

But how does she do it? How does she seemingly breeze through the track as well as her schoolwork? 

Well, according to  McGrath, the secret is in the running. 

“It gives me time to clear my mind,” she said. “When I am stressed out with school, I’ll just go on a run.”

McGrath said like any athlete, she does experience plateaus, but gave credit to her coaches and teammates for their encouragement.

“I really wouldn’t be able to do it without my fellow athletes and coaches,” she said. “They push me to be the best version of myself.” 

McGrath has committed to Nova Southeastern University (NSU), a private Division 2 school in Florida, where she will join the Track and Field Team and major in Biology.

McGrath said she visited the school twice before committing, but once the decision was made, she was all- in.

“The campus is beautiful. It’s a small school with a tight-knit, yet very diverse culture,” she said. “And I fell in love with the Track Team. They were very welcoming and supportive. I also love that NSU is near Fort Lauderdale–ten minutes from the beach–where the team runs every day year- round.” 

While McGrath will be heading to the beach leaving us northerners behind, she left advice for any and every student-athlete out there. 

“Always put in the work,” she said. “When you lose motivation, just keep  pushing forward and the serotonin you want to experience will come through. It’s like finishing a workout, you feel so accomplished afterwards.”