By RICHIE HALL
It can be a satisfying feeling for a senior athlete when she knows that she helped to get it moving in the right direction.
Claire Graves knows that feeling. The Noblesville graduate just completed her women’s soccer career at the University of Iowa, and she and her senior classmates definitely made an impact. The Hawkeyes had a spectacular season in 2019, finishing 15-5-1, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and at one point earning a national ranking (21st) during the regular season.
“I am so proud of our growth and leadership, and I think it shines through the wins we were able to rack up,” said Graves.
Meanwhile, Graves accumulated an impressive set of individual numbers. She set a new record for career wins (38) and moved into second-place all time for career shutouts (24.5) and fourth all-time for career saves (236).
“I’m proud of a lot that I’ve accomplished during my four years at Iowa, but I think I’m most proud of achieving the record for winningest goalkeeper in school history,” said Graves. “When I got to Iowa, the team was going through a rebuild period and we weren’t ‘supposed’ to be good for a few years. But the class of players I entered the program with completely turned things around. My record for wins directly represents what my class was able to do on the field together.”
Graves had to make an immediate impact for Iowa, as she started in every game during her freshman and sophomore seasons. She did well as a freshman, getting four shutouts while posting an 8-11 record and finished fifth in the Big Ten Conference that season with 73 saves.
In her sophomore season, Graves improved her goals against average (GAA) from 1.59 to 1.21, finishing the season 9-8-2. She again finished fifth in the Big Ten in the saves category with 75.
Graves believes that her personal legacy is related to the goalkeepers and the goalkeeper culture on the team.
“I was super lucky to have had a great group of goalkeepers to train with every day,” she said. “We loved showing up and having fun with one another, but that wasn’t something that existed when I got to Iowa.
“When I showed up to school, I was a freshman starter who didn’t know which way was up and didn’t really have any sort of camaraderie. But by the end of my career, every field player wished they were part of our training group because of how hard we worked and how much we supported one another. Those girls are some of my best friends, which isn’t always the case for goalkeepers. It’s something I hope continues because it’s a huge part of what made me the player I was.”
Graves made another big jump during her junior season, where she posted a 7-3-2 record and dropped her GAA to 0.86. That year, she was named the first ever Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week, receiving the award on Aug. 21, 2018. Graves earned that award after getting two shutouts to open the season.
Graves started all but one game during her senior season, finishing with a 14-5-1 record. She earned another Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week award on Sept. 10 and was an Honorable Mention for the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week during that same period; she picked up two more shutouts, including a big one over North Carolina State, whom Iowa beat 1-0. NC State was ranked No. 14 in the nation at the time.
That win was part of a long win streak, one that culminated in a big win for Iowa on Sept. 20 at Indiana University.
“As much as this may not be a popular memory among the Indiana readers, beating IU at IU my senior year was a game that stands out,” said Graves. “I made two crucial saves to keep the shutout for my team, allowing us to win our ninth game in a row to start the season.”
The Hawkeyes won that game 2-0 over the Hoosiers to win their Big Ten opener. Iowa would go on to finish 7-3-1 in the conference.
“I was particularly proud of the saves, but what I enjoyed most was stepping off the field and seeing all of my friends and family from home,” said Graves. “I’ve been extremely lucky to have had my parents at nearly all of my games throughout my career, but for my high school friends to be there in support was really special for me. (Also, I grew up a Boiler, so it was fun to beat the Hoosiers.)”
While Graves was putting together a solid list of accomplishments on the field, her resumé off the field is just as impressive. She has made the Dean’s List every semester at Iowa. Graves also was named to the President’s List both semesters of her junior year, in addition to the first semester of her senior year. Graves also received Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors as well, and was named to the First Team United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North Central Region in her senior year.
This past fall, Graves was named Iowa’s recipient for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
“It was a really amazing honor that I feel lucky to have received,” said Graves. “I appreciate the coaches and staff in the Big Ten who felt I represented the Iowa Hawkeyes in a manner worth recognizing.
“I love competition and fighting to be the best in the moment, but at the end of the day this experience is so unique that myself and the other women playing soccer in the Big Ten get to have. We are all a family and treating one another as such has become really important to me.”
As for the future, Graves is applying to medical schools. When asked if she has picked one yet, Graves noted that seems to be the question she gets most these days.
“Conversations with family and friends went from where I would play soccer to where I’m going to medical school in the blink of an eye,” said Graves. “However, I have not yet made a decision. I’ve been fortunate to have been accepted into a handful of schools, so I’m sorting through those options still. Most likely, I will end up in New York or Cincinnati! As for specialty, I’m keeping my options open, but Cardiology is what I’m leaning toward.”
Claire Graves was part of a senior class that made a big impact for the University of Iowa women’s soccer season this year. Graves graudated with the most career wins, helping the Hawkeyes to a 15-5-1 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)
Graves finished her career with 236 saves, putting her fourth on the Iowa all-time list. (Stephen Mally/hawkeyesports.com)