LAMORINDA WEEKLY | A tale of two sports with Grace Gebhardt


Grace Gebhardt Photo Shirley DeFrancisci, DeF-Stop Photography

With the majority of the high school sports teams playing simultaneously this past spring, many of the Lamorinda student-athletes were forced or voluntarily chose to focus on one sport. For Grace Gebhardt, it was all or nothing. She was going to play for the varsity lacrosse and basketball teams for the fourth consecutive year with the blessings of her coaches.

Both teams found a way to make it work. Assistant basketball coach Scott Espinosa-Brown said it was just a matter of cooperation between the coaches: "On days when Grace had a lacrosse game, she would practice basketball for a while and then leave for her game. We had a great relationship with Bill Fraser, the head lacrosse coach, and we all worked well together, just trying to do the best we could for the kids."

"It was non-stop transitioning," Gebhardt said. "I was really glad to play for both teams. I only had a couple of situations where we had a game for each sport on the same day. There were days that seemed endless where I would have basketball practice at 3:30 and later that day I would head over to the field for a lacrosse practice or game."

Playing two sports in high school is one thing. As a four-year starter for Acalanes in lacrosse and basketball, Gebhardt had the option to play either sport at the next level, but has opted to only play lacrosse when she begins her college career at UC Davis.

After playing basketball for three years under Michelle Sasaski, who "really pushed us to be the best basketball players that we could be," a new staff came in for Gebhardt's senior season.

Margaret Gartner, in her first year as the head basketball coach at Campolindo, compared Gebhardt favorably with Jayne Appel, (who she coached at Carondolet and went on to play for Stanford and in the WNBA) in the way that she could dominate a game. "Watching Grace, it was effortless with everything she did. She just played level-headed, never getting too excited or upset. She saw the floor, read the defense, and made incredible passes. Just her presence said we're going to win the game. I really believe that Grace could have been a Division I player in basketball."

Gebhardt averaged 28 points this year, 11 more than she averaged as a junior. "She was a center, but she could easily come outside and hit the three," Espinosa-Brown said. "She was a key part in our ability to break the press. She was fearless, being able to dribble through guards and find the open person."

As only one of two seniors (Gabby Schneider) on the Acalanes roster with four freshmen and four sophomores, leadership from the seniors was essential. "With so many young players on the team, we were just trying to make it run in our first year with the team," said Espinosa-Brown. "Grace would put her arm around the younger players encouraging them. She was so hard on herself because she had such high expectations but never on others. No question, she could have played in college in the PAC 12."

It was a case of mutual admiration for Gebhardt and the coaches: "This year was an eye-opening experience and I welcomed so many new faces to the basketball program," Gebhardt said. "Our new coaching staff brought a drive and a new upbeat environment. They were so welcoming which inspired the players to do their best and just enjoy what we had."

All that being said, it was lacrosse that was her favorite sport. "I really like how it's different from every sport with the stick, the layout of the field and the rules," Gebhardt said. "Just the speed of the game and working together with 12 people on the field and seeing what you can do was mesmerizing to me."

With Acalanes having a 44-24 record in Gebhardt's four years on the team and scoring 93 goals with 32 assists this year along with being named Acalanes MVP Female Senior Athlete of the year, there is still one highlight that stands out above the rest: "In my sophomore year, we beat Miramonte in the DAL championship 10-9, and I ended up scoring the winning goal in overtime."

Gebhardt's first lacrosse coach at Acalanes was Courtney Neff, followed by Mary Doyle and then Bill Fraser her last two years. Mark Rurka has been an assistant coach for the Dons for the last five years and has been witness to Gebhardt's growth since in the sixth grade when she began playing for the Tenacity club team. "Grace is the most fluid player I've ever seen with her ambidextrous stick skills," Rurka said. "She is naturally gifted and has put in the time for years. This off-season, Grace did a lot of speed and strength work, and her first step was noticeably faster, showing moves that broke ankles."

Besides her ability on the field, her work as co-captain this year with Coco Fellner also stood out to Rurka: "They really led the team this year and they were the best pair of captains we've had in my time at Acalanes. The girls really respected them and they handled any situations that came up and were very communicative. Grace is a wonderful kid from a wonderful family. She's been a delight to have on the team for four years and someone I could always count on as a person and as a player."

UC Davis was very much represented on the Acalanes staff, with Neff, Doyle and Rurka all having played lacrosse for the Aggies, so despite having played for three different head coaches, there were little transition issues for Gebhardt: "All of the coaches were similar, but it was our players that were the ones that held it together with each staff. Still, I think it was a positive experience and I learned a lot from each one of them."

It didn't take more than one visit to UC Davis for Gebhardt to make the commitment to the Aggies. "I really just felt at home at Davis," Gebhardt said. "When I stepped on the campus as a junior, I was overwhelmed with joy and taken in by the experience and I felt at home. All the players were extremely welcoming along with the coaching staff. I couldn't ask for anything more along with the academics. It was just a no-brainer for me. I plan on majoring in graphic design. It's a broad major and we'll see where it takes me."

With a father (Jim) who played golf in college and a mother (Beth) who loved all the sports, it's no surprise that Gebhardt is not the only athlete in the family. Her older sister Emily swims for San Diego State, her younger brother Jack will be a freshman at Acalanes and plays soccer and Grant will be starting seventh grade and is a good golfer.

Needless to say, there was a lot of competition among the siblings. "Emily and I were glad that we didn't end up in the same sport because it would have been way too competitive. Still, we would find ways to compete whether it was just around the house or running together and even our brothers will get in on it."

As difficult as her senior year was, Gebhardt came away with an appreciation of how the Acalanes administration attacked the problem: "It was a struggle to get used to it when it all went down in the spring of 2020. Acalanes really nailed it when we returned in the fall. They had the schedule down and all the teachers and students did the best that they could, and we figured it out, but it was definitely an adjustment. The environment and the community of Acalanes was something special and all the faculty and staff were so inclusive, and they would spread that throughout the campus and every student, and I really loved that. Playing all of the sports, I learned how to develop my skills and how to communicate and work with a team, so it's been a really enjoyable experience graduating from there."