This spring, Blair’s senior student-athlete Brynne Grant ’24 earned the 2024 Jen Baker Scholar Athlete Award. This award recognizes a student who has exhibited success both academically and athletically. It is voted upon by private independent school athletic directors.
“I was incredibly honored to learn I received this award,” said Brynne. “It is always nice to be recognized for athletic and academic achievement. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support from my coaches, teammates, teachers, peers and the Blair community as a whole.”
Brynne is a three-year senior at Blair who excelled in soccer, squash and lacrosse. During her time, she has earned eight varsity letters, three-time All-MAPL honors in lacrosse and two-time All-MAPL honors in soccer. She was team captain in all three sports and was the recipient of the Blair Soccer Award this fall, awarded to the player who—as a competitor on the field—is a source of inspiration to her teammates. She will attend the University of Michigan and play lacrosse for the Wolverines.
“Brynne is one of the most competitive athletes I have ever come across,” said Mackenzie Maguire, Blair’s head girls’ lacrosse coach. “She puts maximum effort into everything she does and elevates her teammates. She enhances my coaching abilities and continuously strives for personal improvement. Brynne isn’t just reliable for scoring goals or limiting the opposing team’s top scorer, but she’s also an exceptional individual and teammate. Witnessing her leadership and mentorship of the underclass players has been one of the highlights of this year for me.”
Although she will play college lacrosse at Michigan next year, she has been a top athlete for the girls’ soccer team and the girls’ squash team at Blair, too.
“Every coach in any sport wants a person like Brynne in the program,” said James Moore, Blair’s director of squash and head girls’ squash coach. “Not only is she eminently coachable and supremely athletic, but also unfailingly positive, supportive of her coaches and teammates, and leads by example. While she was with us, not only did our team exceed its and my expectations, but she also made me a better coach as well.”
“She is the player who always takes practice just as seriously as a game,” said Cency Middleton, Blair’s head girls’ soccer coach. “She demands of her teammates what she demands of herself, which is to give 110 percent on the field, off the field, during warmups, in the locker room, etc. She is the definition of leading by example.”
In addition to her dominance in athletics, Brynne is a superior student who takes her academics just as seriously as her sports.
“While I enjoy sports more than anything else, my family has always emphasized the importance of academics,” Brynne added. “Ultimately, I am here to learn, and as I continue my career in college, academics will always remain the top priority for me.”
The senior also mentioned how proud she is of her involvement on campus for the past three years. She is an active member of the community, serving as prefect in a first-year dorm and a member of the Senior Class Council.