Catherine "Grace" Perez '19 Recruiting Profile

My name is Grace Perez and I am currently a senior at Tomball Memorial High School in Tomball, Texas.  I have been involved in athletics since I was very young. I played boys football from the time I was in the 3rd grade through my freshman year in high school.  The positions I played were middle linebacker and running back. I was the only girl on my team so this experience taught me how to be a team player and I also gained the respect of my teammates.  My football experience made me want to try as many sports as possible in junior high and high school to find my niche.  Unfortunately, a month into 7th grade I was involved in a devastating accident that almost completely severed my foot. I was life flighted to a major trauma center in the Texas Medical Center with what was considered an amputation injury.  I was blessed to have a great surgeon and a determination to never give up.  Within 9 months, I was back on the football field, made the basketball team and experienced my first season of track & field.  I broke the Willow Wood Junior High school record in long jump and won the majority of my sprinting events in my first season of track & field. My freshman year at Tomball Memorial High School, I played freshman football, made the freshman basketball team and made the varsity track team.  During my freshman year, I broke the TMHS school record in the 200m and held that record for 3 years. I quickly realized that I had a passion and a talent for track & field.   At this time, I also realized that I needed to put my football days behind me so I could remain injury free and participate in the sports that were important to me.  My sophomore year, I made the JV basketball team and I maintained my 200m record and competed at district and advanced to area in the 200m and long jump.  At this point, I decided that I should run summer track and joined the Northwest Flyers Track Club and participated in the USATF Junior Olympic series.  My first year, I made it to regionals and area in the long jump and the 4x100m relay.   My junior year, I made the varsity basketball team and continued running varsity track & field at Tomball Memorial High School.   I competed at district and won 1st place in long jump, won 2nd place in the 4x200m relay and 3rd place in the 4x100m relay advancing to area and then advancing to regionals in the relays. My relay team claimed the 4x200m school record and my 4x100m relay team qualified to run in the 2018 Texas Relays.  Individually, I qualified to run the 100m in the 2018 Texas Relays as well.  I participated in summer track with the Northwest Flyers again and qualified for the USATF Junior Olympic series area meet in the long jump.  This year I played varsity basketball and continued running varsity track & field at Tomball Memorial High School.  My 4x100m relay team claimed the school record and we also qualified to run in the 2019 Texas Relays in both the 4x100m relay and the 4x200m relay.  I reduced my split times to 11.19 and 23.9 respectively and have an 18'3" PR in long jump.  I'm looking forward to continuing my passion for track & field at the collegiate level.

Academically, I am in the top 10% of my graduating class of 548 students.  I am a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society.  I have a love for science and plan on majoring in biology.