Grace Driskill has spent the last three years defining excellence at Georgia Tech. Between coding algorithms to setting running records, achievement has followed Driskill everywhere she has gone throughout her collegiate career.
Driskill came to Georgia Tech 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 Georgia Tech and the School of CSE.
“We are so proud of Grace and so happy she came our way for graduate school,” said Alan Drosky, head coach of Georgia Tech’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.”
[Related: Day in the Life of a CSE Student-Athlete]
This year, Driskill recorded the fourth fastest time in history of the Georgia Tech Women's Indoor Track program. 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 2024 All-ACC Cross Country Academic Team.
This listing was Driskill’s third after previous selections in 2024 for indoor track and 2023 for cross country. She is on pace for a 2025 indoor track selection, putting her on four All-ACC academic teams during her Georgia Tech 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 Donald V. Jackson Fellowship. Georgia Tech’s College of Computing presents the award annually 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 2023 regional, earning Georgia Tech 6th place among a field of 29 teams. At last year’s regional, she helped Georgia Tech place 7th out of 31 teams by finishing 41st overall and fourth from Georgia Tech.
“Last year, I qualified for the preliminary round of the track national championship,” Driskill said, remembering her proudest accomplishment at Georgia Tech.
“I love representing Georgia Tech 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 Georgia Tech this summer. She will work with the Technical Internships to Advance National Security program (TITANS) 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 University of Arizona. 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.”
