For Western Washington's Gracie Phelps, sports have been a "saving grace" amid challenges.
She was part of a Vikings basketball team that finished as the national runner-up in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship in 2022.
"I felt really lucky and thankful that I got the opportunity to come play there," Phelps said. "We had gone through a lot together, and to make it to the national championship for that final season was a really, really big, special deal to us."
While the team had gone through a lot together on the court, off the court, Phelps had been struggling, too. Over the course of seven years during her childhood, Phelps was sexually abused by her stepfather. The abuse ended when her mom divorced the man just as Phelps was entering middle school. About 10 years went by before she told anybody about what had happened to her.
"I took on the burden of carrying it with me without ever telling anyone," Phelps said. "Taking that first step was really scary."
Coach Carmen Dolfo was one of the first people Phelps told.
"I felt like I had been waiting for this opportunity to come because it was kind of just pulling at me that I needed to speak up soon," Phelps said.
Dolfo helped guide Phelps in what steps to take next on her path to healing, including getting her into counseling. The next step for Phelps was to tell her mom. That led to Phelps reporting what had happened to police. In 2018, the man was charged, and a trial was held in 2019. That trial ended in a hung jury, and a second trial took place in 2021. The second trial ended in a conviction, and her abuser was given a sentence of 25 years to life.
"One of the biggest things that I learned throughout this entire process is how important it is to lean on the people that love you and lean on the people that are there for you," Phelps said. "There is someone who loves you no matter what. It's really important to do your best to surround yourself with the people who are going to help lift you up instead of hold you back. I was really lucky enough to have that in my team and my coaches and have that love constantly by my family and my friends."
Phelps will be honored with a 2023 NCAA Inspiration Award on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the NCAA Honors Celebration in San Antonio. The award is presented to a coach or administrator currently associated with intercollegiate athletics or to a current or former varsity letter winner at an NCAA school. It honors those who used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome a life-altering situation and become role models, giving hope and inspiration to others.
Through all of the challenges, Phelps has learned a lot about herself.
"I learned how strong I can be," she said. "Looking back now, I've been able to process things more and more the further away I get from the trial. I'm finally starting to realize how I was able to hold myself in those really hard moments. I learned that if I can put my mind to something that's really, really scary and really hard to do, then I can do it, if I just go at it with determination and strength and lean on the people around me and lean on my faith, I know I can get through anything."
Over her five-year career, Phelps, whose name was formerly Gracie Castaneda, played in 126 games, earning 46 starts and averaging 5.9 points, 1.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Now, Phelps, who will graduate this month, is in her third and final quarter as a full-time student teacher at a high school and is the head coach of the girls basketball team. She was married in August.
"I really want to go into a field where I can serve and help other people," Phelps said. "I'm really excited to make an impact on the kids' lives that I get to work with every single day."
Wanting to spread her message and inspire others to speak up, Phelps spoke at a gala for an organization that serves to help people who have gone through domestic violence and sexual assault. She hopes that others will speak out about their experiences, too.
"I spoke to inspire others going through similar hardships," she said. "I was hoping to help others share their story and feel strong and let them know that they're not alone."
