UC Davis Women’s Lacrosse midfielder talks college career

Senior midfielder Kate Graham is a force on the UC Davis women’s lacrosse team. The San Francisco native and sociology-organizational studies major began playing lacrosse in the second grade when she and her two best friends decided to join the local club team. Despite never having any exposure to lacrosse before that, she fell in love with the sport and has continued playing ever since. 

During her high school career, Graham played lacrosse, basketball and waterpolo all four years and earned multiple All-Marin County Athletic League awards for each sport. As a midfielder on the UC Davis team, Graham’s career has only picked up. In her freshman year Graham started all but one game and scored 13 goals and recorded 16 assists. She continued to improve in her sophomore year, starting all 14 games and scoring seven goals and compiling seven assists. By her junior year at UC Davis, she started 17 games, scored 14 goals and was selected for the All-MPSF team for the first time. 

The Aggie sat down with Graham to discuss how she’s grown as a player at UC Davis, her collegiate career so far and her plans for after college.

The California Aggie: What made you choose UC Davis?

Kate Graham: I was kind of lost during the recruiting process. I’m pretty indecisive, so I never knew. I was like, “Oh, maybe I’ll go to the East Coast. Maybe I’ll go to a football school, maybe I’ll go to a school that has 10 people or 30,000.” Davis was the first school that showed interest in me, and I wasn’t really sure what direction I was going to go in at that point. So I held off and just went to other things, explored other options and then I came back to a Davis camp. I tell this story a lot, but when you go to camps and tournaments and you talk to girls who are committed to schools, a lot of times they don’t acknowledge you as much because they’re the cool, committed girls. And I remember I came to Davis camp and all the committed girls were so talkative, so willing to ask you questions — be kind to you. A specific alumni, Natalie Garces, asked me who I was and what I was doing there. I instantly was like, “Oh, these people are normal and nice.” So I fell in love with the school.

TCA: How much has changed for you as a player since your freshman year?

KG: Well, the rules have changed, they change every year. And we’ve had a bunch of coaching changes. I was recruited by a coach, they left, and then I had a new coach my freshman year. They left, and now I’ve had Suzanne [Isidor]. So I think in that formal aspect, a lot has changed. But when it comes to playing, I would say I’ve learned to play for my team, with my team. And everyone on the team plays the exact same way, like we’re a family on and off the field. I think that bond has only grown since my freshman year to my senior year — these girls are my best friends. I know they have my back. So you can play with so much more trust and compassion on the field.

TCA: What advice would you give your freshman self coming into your college career at UC Davis?

KG: Go hard, [play with] energy. Don’t be afraid to fail, make mistakes, do weird things. Make yourself uncomfortable on the field because it’s just gonna pay off. Don’t just do what you’re good at, do something challenging — practice your behind the backs, practice with your left hand, because it’s all gonna pay off in the long run. Make yourself uncomfortable.

TCA: How do you prepare for games mentally? Do you have any rituals or anything that you have to do pre-game? 

KG: I used to be super superstitious in high school. I would eat the same sandwich, eat a jolly rancher, glue a penny onto my locker — I was psycho about it. And coming into college, I was kind of the same way. But this year, I’ve just let it all go and I am just way more calm and casual. It feels so much better to just be like, “It’s fine. I know what I’m doing. I’ve done this for so long, I don’t need a ritual.” Although, I do brush my teeth before every game, every single time. I brush my teeth like a normal person. And then before the game, once I’m done eating and drinking or whatever, I brush my teeth [again].

TGA: Given the career and the success that you’ve had here at UC Davis, what do you think has helped you become the player you are today?

KG: It sounds cheesy, but my teammates, wholeheartedly. When I came in freshman year, everyone just boosted my confidence [and] boosted everyone else’s confidence. We talk about trust and trusting every person who comes off the bench. So as soon as you step off the bench, those girls respect you and they know that you’re supposed to be out there for a reason. So I would just say my teammates — people pumping you up during practice, congratulating each other, staying after and doing extra work after practice, it all contributes to it. But having that strong unit that backs you up and supports you and gives you that confidence only reiterates the confidence that you already had for yourself.

TCA: As a senior who’s wrapping up the end of your career here at Davis, what are you going to miss most about playing lacrosse?

KG: Probably the team. Not only that — because I know that they’re going to be my friends forever — but probably just the fact that to play competitively and to get to be competitive. It’s not weird that you’re competitive, you know, because it’s so legit. I’ve played competitive sports, all these girls have, our whole lives. Where does that energy go? What do you channel that aggression and that competitive edge towards? So I’ll have to find another outlet.

TCA: What do you plan to do after you graduate? 

KG: I’m actually not worried at all. We have the [Aggie] EVO system, which is for athletics, it helps you plan for what you’re doing in the future. So I’m just looking around. I’m from the Bay Area, so I am lucky that I am from a place that has lots of job opportunities. I’m thinking about relaxing in the summer, taking my time and then hopefully landing into something in the fall. But honestly, who knows. I could be on a boat, I could be in another country — totally going with the flow. For one time [in] my life, I won’t have a schedule. So why not enjoy it?

TCA: Do you have any personal goals for the rest of the season?

KG: I think just having fun, wholeheartedly, like it’s my last year playing a competitive sport ever. I want to enjoy every minute of it. And I think we’re in the position to do that — great coaches, great support, great players. This is a year where we can beat a lot of people. I think the goal, of course, is to win the MPSF. We’ve won the regular season twice and then lost the championship twice. So capitalizing on that would be super cool, but besides that like having fun. It’s a sport. It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. Enjoy our time here.

**Since the interview with Graham, all remaining UC Davis athletics events for this year have been suspended.  

Written by: Priya Reddy — sports@theaggie.org

How COVID-19 has impacted athletics across the globe

The entire world of sports has been catapulted into a state of uncertainty following a series of unprecedented events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The U.S. recently became the country with the most reported cases of coronavirus worldwide. As the number of cases continues to grow every day, it is safe to say that this pandemic has impacted the world in ways that are far beyond what many could have imagined. The sports community is just one among many that has been seriously affected in this past month. 

The caution surrounding this virus began with some teams, like the Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks, planning to play games without any fans in attendance amid the growing fears of coronavirus that were taking place within the Bay Area at the time. Around the same time, the NCAA announced that they planned on limiting attendance at their competitions to “essential staff and limited family” as a precautionary measure to avoid community spread. 

Although it is clear that some organizations had begun taking steps to protect everyone from further spread, the fallout that ensued was unprecedented, as the world of sports came to a standstill in what felt like an instant. 

On the evening of March 11, a game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed after Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus before the game began. All Utah Jazz players were told to remain in Oklahoma City for testing, and Gobert’s star teammate Donovan Mitchell tested positive as well. 

The postponement of the Jazz-Thunder game was immediately followed by the NBA’s shocking announcement that it would be suspending the rest of the season. 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained that the league’s main concern at this time is the “well-being of fans, players, everyone connected to our game, and the general public.” Silver’s immediacy in handling this situation is commendable, as the NBA was the first league to display such caution and officially suspend its season.

In the days that followed this announcement, other NBA teams began testing their players. There are now 14 confirmed cases within the NBA, including Kevin Durant and Marcus Smart. 

As disheartening as Silver’s decision may have been for fans in the moment, it soon became clear that the suspension of all other sports competitions was inevitable. Fears evolved into reality by the next afternoon, as Major League Baseball pushed back spring training and postponed the start of the season, while the National Hockey League suspended the rest of its season as well. Major League Soccer has also followed suit, suspending play for a minimum of 30 days.

The exponential growth in the confirmed cases of the virus and the fact that tests are still not readily available, suggests that the nation will continue to see a surge in cases before any decline. Thirty days will most likely not be enough time to determine the end of this outbreak. 

In the midst of all these adjustments, one of the biggest announcements was made on March 24, when the International Olympic Committee decided to postpone the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics, set to take place in Tokyo from July 24 to Aug. 9. 

The committee initially appeared hesitant to go through with postponement, but after pleas from several Olympic athletes and various countries’ Olympic committees and due to the undeniable severity of the situation, the committee eventually decided it would be best to move them to “no later than summer 2021.” 

All marathons scheduled for the next few months have also been postponed, including the Boston and London Marathons — two major races that take place each year.

College sports have also been impacted by concerns surrounding the coronavirus, as the NCAA cancelled all remaining tournaments and championships, resulting in the suspension of play from conferences like the Big West, Big East and Big 12. 

The adjustments being made in response to the coronavirus have also significantly impacted the UC Davis athletic community. On March 12, UC Davis athletics announced that all remaining winter and all upcoming spring sports will be cancelled, effective immediately. 

This decision was made “in the interest of the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff, administrators and fans” and extends to all practices, including those that would have been held in spring to prepare for the upcoming fall season. 

UC Davis Director of Athletics Kevin Blue recently released a letter to the Aggie community, reassuring that everyone’s health and safety remains the top priority as the athletics department continues to monitor the current situation.

The decision to suspend all sporting events and practices was soon followed by the UC Davis administration’s announcement that the campus will be switching to complete remote instruction for Spring Quarter. 

The fact that the limit for public gatherings was set at 1,000 people just weeks ago and has now subsequently been condensed to less than 10 indicates the gradual seriousness and unpredictability of this pandemic. Given this turbulent situation, shutting down all in-person operations and large events until it can be confirmed that it is safe to resume is certainly a wise decision. 

The uncertainty that the coronavirus has left not only on the world of sports but on all aspects of life across the country is unlike anything we have seen before. What originated as a possible cause for concern has developed into a global pandemic, eliminating the routines of life as we knew it before the spread of this virus. 

The coronavirus pandemic has also taken away the one certainty that sports fans have always had of being able to watch their team perform even when everything else in life felt unbearable. The reaction from the whole nation, however, has proven that this is something that extends far beyond any game or championship. 

When sports do resume, there will most likely not be a sense of true normalcy for some time. Although some fans will be excited to return to games, this virus has instilled a level of fear and cautiousness within people that is unlikely to fade away quickly. It is unlikely that stadiums will be filling back up immediately. 

As unimaginable as this situation may be, it is important to understand that sports will eventually be there to pick us up once again, as soon as it is absolutely safe to do so. The most important thing to do now is to support one another and keep ourselves safe. 

Written by: Rain Yekikian — sports@theaggie.org