The unmistakable voice: Resilience, records and Grace Bodrock’s lasting mark on BGSU swimming

When senior BGSU swimmer Grace Bodrock steps onto the pool deck, everyone knows it. Her voice is unmistakable; she is energetic, loud, and sets the tone for her team with her radiant confidence.

In the pool, the same standard holds. She gives everything she has, and her presence has become one of the heartbeats of Bowling Green swimming. This year, in her final season, she's swimming the best races of her life.

A Journey That Almost Didn't Happen

Bodrock didn't grow up dreaming of collegiate swimming. In fact, she only joined the YMCA team at age five because she was too afraid of her teacher after "aging up" out of swim lessons.

"I was too scared to ever say no," Bodrock said. "I kind of just always swam."

By the time she reached high school, she began to take it more seriously.

"I was moving up to the high school group with a bunch of girls that were really fast," Bodrock said. "I started taking it seriously and realized I could probably swim in college."

During her time at Normandy High School in Parma, Ohio, Bodrock was a four-year letter winner and the 2022 Great Lakes Conference MVP, and was dominant in races. However, her recruiting process was slowed due to an injury.

"Junior year is a really big year for recruiting, and I wasn't swimming because I was injured," Bodrock said.

With interest from college programs slowing, she didn't expect much to come her way. Then, an assistant from Bowling Green reached out, but Bodrock wasn't quite sold.

After some convincing from her high school coach, a former Falcon from when BGSU still had a men's team, she decided to lean into the opportunity and go on a visit. She was immediately impressed by the facilities, campus, and the competitiveness of the MAC (Mid-American Conference). Still, one thing stood out more than anything else.

"I was really impressed with the girls on the team. They were just really nice and outgoing, and made me feel included on the trip," Bodrock said. "I think that's what ultimately led me to come here."

A Leader Who Sets the Standard

Head coach Tanner Barton is currently in his second year at BGSU, and in that time, Bodrock has become one of the team's most impactful performers. Her senior season has been the strongest of her career, marked by disciplined training, consistent drops in time, and a confidence that shows every time she dives into the water.

"I knew that she would be a contributor," Barton said. "What I always knew about Grace is that she loved to race. And, as a coach, you want people on your team who love to race and will get after it no matter how they're feeling or what's going on."

Though her impact can be seen in her time, her impact reaches far beyond her own race, as Bodrock has become a cornerstone of Bowling Green's culture, leading with both her voice and her work ethic. In practice, she attacks challenging training sets and sets a pace that younger swimmers strive to match, showing them the standard.

"She leads by example," Barton said. "When it comes to a training set, she will do what the training set is asking her and will make sure she's executing it to the best of her ability so others, especially the underclassmen, will do the same."

Outside the lane lines, she is one of the most vocal and energetic presences on the deck. Everyone is always able to hear Grace, and her spark and energy lift the program and contribute highly to the culture and environment.

"Grace has a very loud personality, and I say that in a good way because she gets people excited, she gets people energized," Barton said. "She loves to race, so she makes other people want to race."

With her voice, effort, and presence, Bodrock has become one of the heartbeat leaders of the program. In every way, both vocally and by setting an example, she sets the tone for what Bowling Green swimming aims to be.

Resilience Through Heartbreak

At the start of her junior year, Bodrock faced something no athlete, student, or person is ever prepared for: her father passed away. The impact touched every corner of her life, from academics to the pool.

"Last year was really difficult for me," Bodrock said. "I'm doing better mentally and moving past those types of things."

The loss brought immense challenges, both in and out of the pool. Bodrock admitted she struggled with confidence and self-doubt.

"I struggled a lot, like, believing in myself, and believing that I'm capable of doing crazy sets or performing really well," Bodrock said. "It was hard for me to have the confidence that I could do those things, even though I've already done them. It's like, oh well, I just got lucky."

Adding to the pressure was the expectation she set for herself to succeed. "For a while, that standard was set where I needed to win all the time," Bodrock said. "It wasn't healthy."

Coach Barton recalled how sudden the loss was and everything that came with it.

"Seeing her grow through that is something that shouldn't be overlooked because when life throws you this unexpected event, right at the beginning of your junior year, and you have a brand-new coach, it's extremely tough," Barton said. "She's not only been able to pick up the pieces and move forward, but this year, now that it's been a year of grieving and processing, she's on fire."

Through the grief and self-doubt, Bodrock learned to trust herself, embrace positive self-talk, and develop a mindset that extends beyond swimming.

"I think my confidence is the biggest change. I'm a lot more confident in myself and not just in swimming, but as a person," Bodrock said. "I can handle hard things… I know that I can push through so much, so it makes everything that I'm dealing with now seem so much smaller."

The confidence is evident in her swimming. She's competing better than ever, dominating her events and setting a new standard for herself and her teammates. She approaches every practice and meets with focus and determination, proving that growth and resilience often come from the hardest experiences.

Chasing Excellence

Entering her senior year, Bodrock has a few goals she is focusing on. One of which is to finish in all three of her events at the MAC Championship: 200 Fly, 100 Fly, and 200 IM.

"I have finaled in all of them, but not all at the same meet," Bodrock said. "I would really like to do all three."

Coach Barton also spoke of his expectations of Bodrock at the MAC Championship.

"I see her contributing at the MAC Championship. Her 200 Butterfly at Cleveland was phenomenal. She won a best time, and she hadn't touched that time in a little bit… I think those times will be very competitive at the conference championship," Barton said. "I really do think that she has some events that will score some points and make an impact on the team standings."

Her other major goal is to break the 2:00.00 barrier in the 200 Fly, a goal that she's been chasing, which would also break the Bowling Green school record, currently held by Jordan Bullock with a time of 2:00.01.

"I really want to try to go under two minutes," Bodrock said. "It would be the school record, but I mostly want to do it to go under two minutes."

For the team, Bodrock also shared similar hopes for the MAC Championship.

"I think we've just set our goal at trying to score more points than we did last year at the MAC Championships," Bodrock said. "It's just about coming in and doing better and being better and shocking people."

Another goal Bodrock has is beating the team up the road on I-75: Toledo.

"You know, our rivals. We've been close the past two years, but have not won, and we haven't beaten them while I've been here," Bodrock said. "This year, it's gonna happen. I know we can do it."

A Lasting Mark

Reflecting on her time at Bowling Green, Bodrock hopes to leave more than just fast times and wins behind. She wants her teammates to remember her as a positive force, the kind of upperclassman who inspires and uplifts those around her.

"I really hope that I can be that kind of upperclassman that people talk about till their seniors," Bodrock said. "When I was a freshman, some upperclassmen really left a mark on me, so I really hope that I can be that swimmer that they bring up and that they miss."

Bodrock wants her legacy to extend beyond encouragement to carry forward the lessons she's learned about hard work and self-belief.

"I hope that I leave them with the idea that hard work pays off and training hard is worth it," Bodrock said. "I hope they have that mindset of believing in themselves and knowing that they're capable of so much more than any limit they put on themselves."

Looking back on her own journey, Bodrock also has advice for her freshman self, which she hopes younger teammates can take to heart as well.

"Buckle up. You're gonna go through a lot of changes, and get used to it," Bodrock said. "Just sit back and enjoy it, and stop stressing about every little thing. I barely remember my worst races. All I remember is hanging out with my friends and the good ones."

Through her leadership, energy, and perspective, Bodrock has helped shape the culture at Bowling Green. She has left an imprint not only as a competitor but as a teammate and mentor whose presence, positivity, and philosophy of hard work will continue to resonate long after she leaves the pool.

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