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Grace Driskill has spent the last three years defining excellence at ɫ����. Between coding algorithms to setting running records, achievement has followed Driskill everywhere she has gone throughout her collegiate career. 

Driskill came to ɫ���� in 2023 as a graduate transfer to run long-distance for the women’s cross country and track teams. In doing so, she became the first-ever student-athlete in the School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE). 

While a pioneer in her own right, the trails that Driskill blazed will be her legacy at ɫ���� and the School of CSE.

“We are so proud of Grace and so happy she came our way for graduate school,” said , head coach of ɫ����’s cross country and track and field teams.

“She is obviously very talented academically and athletically, and she has contributed in a major way to our teams in competition.” 

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This year, Driskill recorded the . She clocked a 9:22.21 in the 3000-meter race at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, held on Feb. 15 at Boston University.

Driskill’s record-setting performance at the Valentine Invitational came days after news of her latest academic achievement. She was among 19 Yellow Jackets selected to the .

This listing was Driskill’s third after previous selections in  and . She is on pace for a 2025 indoor track selection, putting her on four All-ACC academic teams during her ɫ���� career. 

To earn an All-ACC academic team selection, student-athletes must attain a 3.0 grade point average in the previous semester and maintain an overall 3.0 cumulative average. Student-athletes must also compete in the ACC and/or NCAA championships during the most recent season.

In 2024, Driskill’s academic achievement earned her the . ɫ����’s  to well-rounded, first-year master’s students. The College selects fellows who best embody Jackson’s academic excellence and leadership values.

Driskill was instrumental in helping the women’s cross country team earn high rankings at the NCAA South Regionals both years she competed. 

Driskill was the second-fastest Yellow Jacket and finished 34th overall at the , earning ɫ���� 6th place among a field of 29 teams. , she helped ɫ���� place 7th out of 31 teams by finishing 41st overall and fourth from ɫ����.

“Last year, I qualified for the preliminary round of the track national championship,” Driskill said, remembering her proudest accomplishment at ɫ����. 

“I love representing ɫ���� at every competition throughout the season, but the opportunity to do it at a higher level and more prominent competition was extra special.”

A native of Tucson, Arizona, Driskill intends to return to the Southwest after graduating from ɫ���� this summer. She will work with the Technical Internships to Advance National Security program () at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Driskill started her collegiate career in 2020, competing on the cross country and track teams at the . She graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in mathematics. 

In high school, Driskill was a four-year cross country letter winner and a two-year letter winner in track and field and softball. She earned first-team all-state honors her senior year in 2019 after state champion finishes in the 1600 and 3200-meter events.

“Grace’s contributions go way beyond what she does while running. She has a fantastic attitude, an easy-going demeanor, and a great sense of humor,” Drosky said. “She has become an integral figure on our teams and will be missed.”