Winning national championships has been a habit at Ithaca College for decades, but it’s been especially evident over the last 15 years. Since 2011, at least one Bomber has won a national title in all but one school year (2013-14). That trend has been extended thanks to one of the top gymnasts in the country.
On March 20, Grace Murray captured the floor exercise title at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NGCA) Championships at SUNY Cortland. The senior entered the competition with the top Season Average Score (SAS) in Division III at 9.85. She matched that score to come out on top to cap off her college career.
“It still feels really surreal,” Murray said. “I never expected this to happen. I went into the whole meet just trying to enjoy my last time competing, so it is kind of bittersweet. I’m a senior, so it was my last meet ever and it was my last routine ever, but I’m just feeling super grateful for the way that my career got to end. I really couldn’t imagine it to end on a better note.”
Murray joins a long list of national champions on South Hill. She became the 37th Bomber to win a national title. It’s also the 60th individual national championship in school history and the 13th for the gymnastics program. For Murray, all of that success would not be possible without the unmatched level of support from the Bombers community.
“We’re all like one close-knit family, and that’s I think what’s really produced the amazing things that we’ve accomplished,” Murray said. “The schools really rallied around us and rallied around every sport… It really is just such a close-knit community, and we all support each other, and I really think that’s what puts us ahead of a lot of other schools.”
Like the national champions before her, Murray knows it takes an arduous amount of work to rise to the top. While gymnastics is very much a physical sport with all the moves and contortions the body endures, Murray believes her greatest area of growth has been on the mental side.
“We’ve been doing these skills for almost half our lives, but it really is that mental aspect,” Murray said. “[Head coach] Rick [Suddaby] always sits us down and we write down cues that we have before each tumbling pass, each leap. When I’m competing, you got to block everything out. I just think of those cues that I have because if I think about the whole routine, it’s in a minute and 30 [seconds] of just pure chaos, so breaking it down and having set cues for what I’m supposed to do has been really helpful.”
It actually took some convincing to have Murray come to IC in the first place. The Maryland native battled through injuries during her club career and didn’t know if she wanted to pursue gymnastics even after getting an offer from Suddaby. But after a conversation with her now-teammate and fellow senior Emily Kobusky, Murray told Suddaby on the final day of commitments that she was on board. It’s safe to say that decision paid off tremendously.
“I struggled a lot in club,” Murray said. “I wasn’t really that good. Honestly, Rick took a chance on me. I hadn’t really competed in a while, so I was even grateful to just have a spot on the team.”
It’s no surprise that gymnastics is more of a niche sport during the winter season when basketball and hockey is rife throughout the area. But Murray has been thrilled to see how much the sport has attracted more attention throughout her time with the Bombers.
“It’s one of the fastest-growing sports,” Murray said. “I know D3 is growing, and so I’m just excited to see the sport grow. It’s been such a pleasure watching it from my freshman year to now just how many people show up to our meets, and the recognition that we’ve been getting has been great.”
That bump in popularity won’t be slowing down any time soon as the program continues to flourish. In fact, Murray wasn’t the only standout performer for the Bombers at nationals. Along with Murray’s two All-American honors, there were three other All-Americans: Kobusky, junior Lauren Babineaux, and freshman Leanne Desjardins.
“That was so special,” Murray said. “I think I was 1,000 times more nervous for them competing than I was. At least for me, I know what I can control, but seeing them compete and seeing them do so well actually meant the world.”
Although her competitive career on South Hill has come to a close, Murray hopes to continue to stay connected to the sport that has allowed her to reach the pinnacle of college athletics.
“I really want to coach college gymnastics, but I’m trying to figure out something realistic,” Murray said. “I definitely want to stay really involved in this sport. The sport has given me everything, so I really just want to give back.”
