Grace Nation finds faith, reaches new heights in final track season

When track and field senior long and triple jumper Grace Nation was younger, she used to tell people she was born with a Bible in her hands.

Early Sunday mornings at church made up much of her childhood, but she didn’t develop her own personal faith until her teenage years. She said her faith was present throughout high school but hadn’t deepened to the level it would reach in college. 

During her track and field career at Parkland High School in Allentown, Nation said she competed in only a handful of meets. Although she didn’t have much experience, a few strong performances were enough to draw the attention of Lehigh’s coaching staff. 

When Nation arrived in Bethlehem, she said her story didn’t unfold as she’d hoped.

A hip injury sidelined her most of her first and second seasons. As the pain progressed, she underwent surgery on her labrum and right hip during her sophomore year.

“In my first two years, I didn’t compete much which was challenging,” Nation said. “Just being at practice and watching my teammates jump, doing the thing I loved, it was hard.”

She spent the entire summer before her junior year recovering and focusing heavily on strength training.

When she returned to the track, Nation said she felt weak and wasn’t reaching the same marks as before her injury. She said it caused her meets to be filled with anxiety, leading to frustration and a lack of confidence while competing.

Although she once focused on statistics, Nation said she now puts her time and energy into strengthening her faith. 

“I could’ve let the disappointment get to me but I started tapping into my faith and finding a peaceful mindset,” she said. “Growing in my faith and leaving everything to God, just completely trusting in him has changed how I see everything.”

That shift showed in her performance. At the Rutgers Relays on April 11, Nation surpassed the 12-meter mark for the first time in her career, finishing third in the triple jump with 12.06 meters. 

At that moment, Nation said she achieved a personal goal she’d chased for four years. 

As the only two long and triple jumpers in their class, senior Dan Givens practices alongside Nation and said her resilience has stood out, especially in her approach to training and injury prevention.

“She keeps practices fun,” Givens said. “If you get too hard on yourself, especially with an event like jumps, you never get where you want to be mentally. I think that’s something that we’ve both been pretty conscientious about and aim for. That’s kind of the ideal situation with track because it can be hard if you are always chasing a personal record.”

Givens said there’s been significant turnover within the team in recent seasons, largely due to graduating athletes. He said he and Nation have become a consistent presence for younger athletes, growing closer as they help keep the group connected.

Now, in her final month at Lehigh, Nation said she’s achieving marks she once thought were impossible.

At the Monmouth Season Opener from March 27-28, she won both outdoor horizontal jumping events, posting a 5.45-meter long jump and an 11.67-meter triple jump.

Senior high jumper Melanie LaCorte said she isn’t surprised by Nation’s success, noting she’s always recognized her talent and admires her passion for the sport. 

“When you put a lot of pressure on yourself, you lose that passion and become too focused on hitting specific marks, but with (Nation), she’s always told me ‘I’m so excited to compete tomorrow,’” LaCorte said. “You don’t hear that from a lot of athletes.”

Nation said she keeps a list of scriptures on her phone to ground herself before each jump. She said once she let go of her anxieties and trusted in God, the results followed.

As her faith deepened, Nation said her success came naturally and she began training pain-free for the first time in her career. 

“Leaning into my relationship with God and getting out of my own head has allowed me to enjoy jumping,” she said.“I love jumping so much, and being in a mental space that’s just full of indescribable peace is something I wish for everyone.”

As her time at Lehigh comes to an end, Nation said she’s reflected on her journey more than ever before. 

“Just because my path wasn’t linear, (it) doesn’t discount me from being able to pursue what I want to pursue,” Nation said. “I’m super grateful for these four years even though they weren’t perfect, because I think it was really God’s timing in the end.”