.png)
Get to Know Savannah College of Art and Design Lacrosse Player, Mary Grace Gordon
Name: Mary Grace (MG) Gordon
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
High School; Sewickley Academy
Sport: Lacrosse
High School Accolades: Most Outstanding Female Athlete (awarded by the late Win Palmer) at her graduation ceremony in 2023. This moment was something that first made her reconsider playing lacrosse in college once again. She also won six varsity letters including three in lacrosse, one in cross country, one in cheerleading, and one in soccer.
Adversity Faced During High School: A torn ACL in her sophomore season of high school as well as personal challenges with her mental health contributed to her stepping away from lacrosse for a time both at the high school level and on the travel circuit. She did not expect to play college lacrosse, but a change of heart right before heading to college made her reconsider. It’s a decision that’s changed her life and eventually made her find a true love for lacrosse once again.
College: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The private art school is home to nearly 15,000 students and is located in Savannah, Georgia. The institution competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in The Sun Conference.
Why She Chose SCAD: “Before I tore my ACL during sophomore year of high school, I was talking to a couple of schools for lacrosse and just kept in mind which ones did and didn’t have a fashion program. Once I had my mind set on not playing in college, I was looking primarily in New York at Parsons or the Fashion Institute of Technology, and also was interested in some international substitutions. My mom had heard about this High School Summer Program at SCAD (Rising Star) and signed me up. I was kind of set on moving to New York City for school, but when I went to Rising Star the summer after my junior year, I fell in love with it. I applied and was accepted before my senior year and decided not to apply anywhere else.”
College Accolades: Helped the nationally ranked Bees to The Sun Conference title; a first-round victory in the NAIA National Championship tournament; and an appearance in the NAIA national semifinals. Gordon also played in 20 games and made six starts on the season. She scored 19 goals and dished out 14 assists in the 2024 season. “It wasn’t until the August before move-in that I emailed Coach Shotwell expressing interest in playing college lacrosse. I started my summer workouts and was told I could try out. I made the team, but faced a lot of challenges with old injuries and couldn’t play or even practice a lot. From being a freshman walk-on and on injured reserve to being in the starting line-up of some super important games was an amazing feeling. I exceeded my personal goals that my coach and I set for the season and fell back in love with lacrosse entirely.”
Major and Future Plans: Fashion design with a minor is social strategy (social media). She’s also in the GradPath program to earn her master’s degree in luxury brand management at the same time. She plans to graduate in under five years with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Favorite Lacrosse Mamories: “Winning the Sun Conference was a huge one. We traveled to Florida for the conference tournament and it was just such a rewarding experience getting to play in that. I’ll always say scoring my first collegiate goal in my first collegiate game was a special moment. But overall, every moment spent with the girls on my team is top tier.”
What Sewickley Academy Means to Her: “Being a small community definitely has ups and downs. In high school, I would never stop complaining about how small and suffocating it was. I attended Sewickley Academy for 14 years and I was ready to leave for college by the time I reached the seventh grade. That being said, I owe them so much. My teachers, coaches, and friends there made me who I am. My senior year was by far my favorite and I felt the nostalgia before I even left. It was a year of “yes” for me and I left with no regrets. I joined the cross country team instead of playing lacrosse. I joined the cheer squad and got it really kick-started after losing a lot of members from graduating classes. We collaborated with the Lower School and had so many girls join us for a performance at the boys’ basketball game. It is now one of the biggest teams at Sewickley. After being on the news for my dresses, I received multiple letters from the little girls in the early childhood building asking if I would go visit them. When I did, they showed me the outfits that they made out of recycled bags and cardboard. It’s little things like that that really make a community. I had a very short summer break due to summer classes starting, but Sewickley Academy was one of the first places I went. I was greeted like I had never left by my teachers from every walk of life, my ladies in the cafeteria, my little girls who are all so big now, and everyone I saw. I will forever be grateful for my upbringing at that school.”
Local Celebrity Prowess: As a high schooler at Sewickley Academy, Gordon appeared on a segment hosted by CBS PIttsburgh to showcase her sustainable dresses made from recycled face masks and newspapers. Her talents of thrifting, repurposing materials, and artistic ability have become known to many both in her native Pennsylvania and on the campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Her Support System: “My entire family, late Sewickley Academy Athletic Director Win Palmer, my longtime teammates Isabella Capito and Elena Mohan, my head coach at SCAD Melody Shotwell who welcomed me to the program and pushed me hard this past season, my athletic trainer at Nysa Forman who puts up with my extremely injury prone self, and Jennifer Donovan who quite literally I consider my fairy godmother. She worked at Sewickley Academy my senior year and provided me with opportunities beyond belief. She sees potential in me like few others.”
Family Ties to College Athletics: Her father, Bobby, played college soccer and lacrosse at Roanoke College, her older brother, Alex, played soccer at Northwestern University, and her older sister, Elsa, plays lacrosse at NCAA Division III Wesleyan University. “My whole family is very competitive. Family kickball, card games, and even who could be first to the bottom on family hikes, were just part of childhood. But more than that, they are super supportive. They pushed me really hard to be my best and let me try everything from dance, to soccer, to basketball, cross country, cheer and of course lacrosse. The family rule was was that I had to stick with something for at least a year once I started. Being the baby, I was always told that I had “big shoes to fill” athletically. I remember one time, I was with my mom when somebody told me this after my sister commited. She could tell that phrase had made me anxious and she told me “You wear whatever shoes you want to.” Having this balance between intensity and support was healthy for me.. Obviously, I still moan and groan every time a family hike or run is suggested, but I’m very grateful for the nature of my family. I would miss lots of school and events to go watch my siblings play in college and high school, but it was truly my favorite thing. To this day, my parents go to every game they can for us. My sister and I have overlapping games, but they were back and forth between Connecticut and Georgia all the time. They never miss anything of ours I love getting “good luck” texts from my brother and sister before games and “great job” paragraphs from my parents afterwards. Family is super important to me and I am so lucky to have mine.”
Comments