Grace Biddle Looks Back at Field Hockey Days at State High and Bates; Hopes to Become Tech Content Writer

Photo courtesy of Theophil Syslo/Bates College.

In central Pennsylvania, State High field hockey reigns supreme. This program is one of the few in the state, and is typically raising the District 6 crown in the end. The program also regularly features several college recruits that scatter at various schools around the nation. One member of theLittle Lions class of 2019 will soon become a college graduate.

Grace Biddle, a former goalie for State High, wrapped up their field hockey career this fall at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. The liberal arts college is synonymous with rigorous academics as a “baby” Ivy League institution. Just 17 percent of applicants receive acceptance. However, as a member of the New England Small College Athletic Association (NESCAC), the Bobcats compete in one of Division III’s top conferences.

Specifically in field hockey, the NESCAC features perennial powers and commonly receives four to six bids for the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championships. While Bates unfortunately did not qualify in their time with the program, Grace helped take the Bobcats to new heights during their playing career.

Photo courtesy of Theophil Syslo/Bates College.

The Bates field hockey program received their highest national ranking in program history in 2022 (11th nationally) and picked up wins over Bowdoin College, the nation’s number six team ‌and Williams College, the number eight team.

“We did some historic things here,” said Biddle. “We beat Bowdoin for the first time since 1984. That was huge for our program and I waited the entire time at Bates to do something like that. We also got the highest ranking in program history while I was here. It’s a huge milestone and getting to help this program do that is special to me. Biddle found out about Bates from their time playing club field hockey during high school. Having limited experience as a keeper after moving from defense in their sophomore year of high school she was ambitious and sought after opportunities to keep playing past high school. Biddle was deciding between two NESCAC schools, Hamilton and Bates, but going to Bates became the perfect fit because she got to play for a former goalie in Dani Kogut. “Everyone was super friendly and the campus was truly beautiful in the winter. I felt welcomed and the school also had the rigorous education I was looking for. I know I made the right decision.”

Photo courtesy of Theophil Syslo/Bates College.

The Centre County native has one season of eligibility left because of COVID-19, but they have elected to graduate in May and head off into the real world. There is a true mix of emotions leaving because there have been many great people and activities that they have been involved and associated with, but there is also the excitement to grow in the tech industry. At the time of this article, Biddle is searching for roles in content marketing and tech writing and hopes to land a role in a major U.S. city. An internship in New York City during the summer of 2022 really helped them discover they could blend their English major with their passion for where the world is heading. At Fusemachines, she worked with a talented team of app developers, software engineers, and salespeople to make accessibility to artificial intelligence more accessible and useful for everyone. The company’s CEO, Sameer Maskey, is a Bates College alumni and brings one Bates student to their company every summer. Luckily for Biddle, she was the one in 2022. However, luck has little to do with it. The former Bobcats keeper has continually achieved highly in academics. She will graduate with honors from Bates this spring with three minors in film, rhetoric, and film studies on top of their English degree. She also became a three-time ZAG Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) NCAA Division III National Academic selection, a three-time NESCAC Fall All-Academic selection, President of the Bates Special Olympics club, a member of Bates’ student government, and spent the spring of their junior year studying abroad at the University of Oxford. While she hopes to hit the workforce in the coming months, there is also an interest she has had for many years to head to law school. In fact, she has already taken the LSAT in order to apply someday in the future. Now leaving field hockey behind, she cherishes the District 6 crowns in basketball and field hockey, having the chance to play with talents such as Madison Tambroni and Kelsey Love in high school, and helping to elevate the Bates field hockey program overall as some of their most cherished memories. All the road trips to play with various club teams and to play around New England have come and gone in a flash, but Grace Biddle will soon be off to see what she can achieve next.

Grace would like to thank her family for supporting her throughout her life in sports, and the many coaches throughout her childhood that gave her the skills to compete in college. She would also like to thank her coach Dani Kogut for teaching her the values of Bates field hockey, which she will “carry with her the rest of her life”.

Photo courtesy of Theophil Syslo/Bates College.