Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302
May 24, 2022 - With the clock ticking down on her senior year of high school, North Central College long sprinter Allison Grady had a last-minute realization that she wanted to compete in track and field collegiately and with the help of her high school coaches — both graduates of North Central — she found her home for the next four years would be just down the road.
The Naperville native had her eyes set on the Big-10 college experience, having already lined up a roommate at the University of Illinois before a successful senior track season made her question that decision. “I was having a lot of fun and was doing well, I was having an end-of-the-season crisis,” said Grady who texted her high school coaches for advice. “They met up with me and literally the next day my head coach got me in contact with coach Kari Kluckhohn, I had a visit, and the rest was history.”
Like many kids, Grady grew up playing soccer and eventually picked up basketball. Grady played soccer from kindergarten through eighth grade before transitioning to track and field later that school year. “It was kind of on a whim, no one in my family had ever run track before and it was kind of a secondary sport to me [behind basketball] and it remained a secondary sport up until my sophomore year of high school.”
Between Grady competing in track and field, and her younger brothers Troy and Brett dropping traditional sports to play hockey and water polo, Grady’s parents relished the idea of learning sports they weren’t familiar with. “I love my family, they are a huge support system for me. I'm really lucky that my parents never miss a meet, they're always there and I love being able to look up at the stands and see them.”
One of Grady’s favorite track memories was when her high school team won the State Championship title her senior year. The team scores were neck-and-neck heading into the 4x400 meter relay with Grady anchoring the Naperville North squad. She found herself in the last 150 meters fighting off elbows from the Homewood-Flossmoor runner — the other team in contention for the state title. “I just kicked it into this gear that I didn't even know I had and finished the race,” said Grady. “We secured the championship and that was the most excruciating pain I've ever been in after a track race in my life. But that whole experience with my team was really cool.”
Her favorite memories of her collegiate track career go beyond the track, traveling and competing at the NCAA Division III National Championship her freshman year where her relay teammates bonded in their hotel rooms over Dr. Pimple Popper on TLC or when the long sprinters dressed up in green clown wigs for a St. Patrick’s Day practice.
Grady notes Coach Kari as a strong role model alongside Dr. Carly Drake, who Grady has done research with throughout her academic career, and many other professors at North Central who have made an impact on her. “It's been really cool getting to know all of these people. I've gotten little glimpses of their personal stories and seeing how they continue to carry themselves with such grace and seeing how intelligent and eloquent they are.”
As for her athletic career, the most challenging hurdle Grady has had to face is her mental health as a collegiate student-athlete. “I think that my mental health has been a huge barrier to my success in track in a way. It was tough coming off of this really high in high school and having this really successful freshman year just before CoVid-19 hit. I had to relearn how to have a relationship with sports, food, and my body.”
“I've just had to remind myself that your identity as an athlete is more than a time that you're going to run or a pace you’ll hit in workouts,” said Grady. “Everybody faces those mental barriers and your teammates are the ones you have to lean on when things aren't going your way. You just keep on building.”
Grady has had her fair share of successes on the track turning in 12 All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) honors in the distance medley relay, 4x400 meter relay, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter run. She is a two-time NCAA Division III National Qualifier in the 4x400 relay and ran on the second-fastest relays in program history both indoors and outdoors. Grady has accolades in the freshman record-setting 4x200 meter relay from 2019 and recently claimed the 2022 CCIW championship title in the distance medley relay with teammates Emmy Mussey, Jenna Fiore, and Madzia Myrda.
Despite coming into North Central as a secondary education history major, Grady quickly realized that wasn’t the path she was meant for. During her freshman year, she met with Coach Kari and the women’s track faculty mentor, Taylor Arman to help her transition to her Psychology degree. From there, Grady picked up minors in Sociology and Gender and Women’s Studies to align with her desire to make an impact on other people while putting an emphasis on their well-being.
“When I was a freshman, I was really quiet and kind of internalized a lot of things. I didn't really speak up for myself as much. I think my work ethic has remained consistent and I've always had a team-oriented mindset but I think throughout college I’ve learned how to advocate for myself and I've found my voice.”
Grady has worked alongside Dr. Drake for various research projects and also assists in content creation for The Body Collective, a community of North Central College student-athletes committed to supporting body positivity within athletics. Grady also had her hands in North Central's Athletic Mentorship Program, is a tutor at the Speaking Center, and is a part of the psychology honor society, Psi Chi.
The summer before her senior year, Grady interned with the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) where she was trained to facilitate mental health support groups. Grady continues to lead monthly support groups with individuals in the community ages 18 and older who are living with a mental health condition.
Grady will be taking an extra semester for her undergraduate studies to take advantage of North Central’s study abroad program in Canterbury, England during the fall semester. “I think it will be a really eye-opening experience for me and it will help me grow in a lot of ways.” While studying abroad, Grady plans to apply for clinical mental health graduate programs with the end goal to be a clinical psychologist specializing in athletes struggling with eating disorders and body image. She’s also not ruling out the idea of becoming a professor one day in hopes to make an impact on students, just as her undergraduate professors had on her.
When she’s not in the classroom or on the track, Grady can be found watching Netflix, going to the dog park with her two labs Roxie and Rylie, taking a hot yoga class, or walking the aisles of Trader Joe’s. You could also challenge her to play the flute and she would happily belt out a few Christmas carols.
The women’s track and field team sent seven athletes to compete in five events at this weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championship in Geneva, Ohio. Meet information can be found here.
Credits:
Steve Woltmann, Mark Black