It’s a memory that has stuck with Grace Stegemerten.

It’s also a moment that has shaped her career.

“I was very proud of my freshman year at districts when our girls team got second,” Stegemerten recalled. “We had amazing numbers that year. We would have seeded high as a team at states, too. But they only took one team that year, so it was a little upsetting.

“But everybody just ran so well, because we all wanted it for each other. We all wanted to do our best for each other, and to win.”

Stegemerten placed a team-best seventh in her first district meet as Tamaqua finished second overall in the Class 2A team standings, just five points behind Northwestern.

There was no trip to Hershey for Stegemerten in 2018.

But the experience set her on a path that included two trips to the state meet during her career, including this past fall.

Stegemerten followed in the footsteps of the talented runners that came before her.

She was a leader on and off the course, creating her own legacy and setting an example for others to follow.

The lessons learned from those opportunities as a freshman gave Stegemerten the tools to put together a remarkable career, one that now includes Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

She hasn’t forgotten how her journey started.

“It’s amazing,” Stegemerten said of her freshman year. “It gave me the confidence, and it showed me that I could do it. And then from then on, I knew I could do it.”

Stegemerten capped her high school career with a 56th-place finish in the Class 2A race with a time of 20:59.9 at states this year.

“She’s been great,” said Tamaqua head coach Tom Kanger. “She’s always been a leader to this team. I got to coach her even with the junior high years through seventh and eighth grade. Even at that point, she was leading the team.

“She ran with some really good girls coming through, with (Sarah) Maue and (Brianna) Dumond; they’re all running collegiately now. She (Stegemerten) was great, because I could always rely on her.”

Stegemerten was reliable on the course, producing stellar results throughout her senior year.

She won three dual meets during the regular season in Schuylkill League competition, also recording finishes of third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Stegemerten was also fourth at the Canes Invitational, and third at the Cardinal Clash, in addition to placing 18th at the DeSales Invitational, and 28th at the Northampton Invite.

At the league meet, she placed fourth, before punching her ticket to states with an eighth-place finish at districts in 21:08.

As a junior, Stegemerten just missed a shot at the state event when she hit the finish line in seventh place with a time of 21:59 when the number of qualifiers was reduced.

Her consistency has kept her at the front of the pack throughout her career.

“I think that was definitely key with any of these good runners that you’ve recognized over the years,” Kanger said of Stegemerten’s run of results. “You’ll see that word consistent. If they have an injury or something like that, a lot of them are still running through it, but they’re knowledgeable enough to know how to run through it, and not hurt themselves and be able to recover and come back, but still keep competing, which I think is just really tough on kids nowadays. She really stepped it up with that.”

Stegemerten is as tough mentally as she is physically, something she has proved since she joined the program.

“I’m very satisfied with my career,” she said. “It was a lot. It was a lot of fun, a lot of ups, a lot of downs. It was a lot of work. And I was excited that I got back (to states) because I know everything that I’ve done since freshman year was getting me ready for this year at states.”

While Stegemerten plans to continue her running career in college, she’s currently focused on the upcoming track season this spring.

In 2019, Stegemerten, Sarah Maue, Brianna Dumond and Frances Kabana collected their first state medal together, placing sixth in the 2A 3200 relay with a time of 9:46.41.

Her cross country career at Tamaqua may be over, but Stegemerten relished the opportunity to help the next wave of athletes coming up for the Blue Raiders, as freshman Levi Kunkel also qualified for states this season.

Just like her teammates did.

“It’s great. I love being able to teach Levi what I learned, try to teach him as much early on,” said Stegemerten. “And especially teach him that it’s not all about running a great time every time; it’s not always about winning. It’s about the memories you make, the experiences you gain. The memories I have made on this team over the years, starting with my freshman year with Sarah Maue, April Gerber, they changed my whole dynamic, really. To be able to give Levi those memories, and the fun things that you pick up from the sport, not just the medals, it’s really amazing.”