One state championship is a big achievement, but two in one year is…well…historical and has the makings to be in the record-book.

Dexter’s Daphne Grant is a member of the Dexter Field Hockey and Washtenaw United Ice Hockey teams. Playing an important role on both teams, this school year she won a state title in both sports.

This past October, the Dexter Field Hockey team beat Chelsea for its second straight MHSFHL Division 2 state championship and then in March the Washtenaw United girls’ hockey team claimed the Division 2 state title with a win over Cranbrook-Kingswood.

The Sun Times News (STN) reached out to Grant, a junior at Dexter High School, to ask her about these huge achievements.

“Overall, I feel proud of myself and the hard work I’ve put into both ice hockey and field hockey that’s been recognized with two state championships,” she said. “Junior year hasn’t been easy to say the least, and being able to show these accomplishments for myself gives me a sense of clarity that I’m doing some stuff right.”

Daphne Grant with Washtenaw United. photo by Mike Williamson

With both seasons, there were some challenges in getting to the big games, but they were overcome by similar solutions.

“For field hockey, we didn’t come into pre-season as conditioned as we had the year before, which put us a little behind,” Grant said. “My team was worked hard and pushed hard to get us into the best shape for the fall season, which was definitely not easy. It took encouragement all across the team to keep running even when it felt impossible to go on.”

“For ice hockey, we hit a bump in the road when we were on a losing streak of about five games,” she said. “Being on this losing streak definitely brought down team morale and many of us thought it wouldn’t be possible to dig ourselves out of this hole. It took some team break downs from our captains and coaches to talk and get to the bottom of this bump and we worked out together how to get over it.”

The solutions play into the highlights for her, which revolves around team and friendships.

“The highlight of field hockey this year would have to be my teammates,” she said. “Seeing my best friends every day kept me going, even when the sport became difficult and I needed to mentally push myself to go each day. Team 14 was so special and the seniors especially have the biggest place in my heart. I’ve played together with them for three years and they will be missed so much next year!”

She said the highlight of ice hockey this year “were the bonds created and strengthened through good and bad moments.”

“We all went through the same wins and losses, and dealing with them together rather than on our own, brought us closer as a team to eventually achieve a state championship,” she said.

In addition to her teammates, Grant also paid tribute to her coaches.

“I owe my successes to the coaches who allowed me to strive for greatness all throughout the seasons,” she said.

Her field hockey coach, Keely Tamer, she said held the team to a high standard which gave them the strength to keep working despite lows that may have occurred.

“She didn’t allow us to get down on ourselves and I appreciate the knowledge she’s shared over the six years she’s coached me,” she said of Tamer.

“My ice hockey coach Adam Winters gave me a chance to display my skills in a different level of play I was used to and his utilization of me really allowed me to flourish,” she said.

But the support also goes beyond the field and ice rink.

“I owe most of my success to my parents,” she said. “Their open minds and willingness to listen to me in car rides of frustration after a hard game or practice gave me a sense of support I needed during those difficult times. Their continuous support from moving from club/travel ice hockey to high school allowed me to ease some tension and pressure I’d been feeling and gave me the opportunity to win a high school state championship.”

Looking ahead to next year, STN asked her if she thinks she and both teams can give it another go and strive toward even more greatness.

“For my senior year, I’m excited to help lead my teams with experience and support to get back to the greatness I know we are capable of,” she said. “It won’t be easy, but I know with the right coaching, hard work, and mindsets, anything is possible!”