Neely Spence Gracey, Alison Van Scyoc cited as Franklin County women’s sports trailblazers

By: SU Sports Information

Shippensburg University women’s cross country/track & field All-American Neely Spence Gracey ’12 and Shippensburg University head softball coach Alison Van Scyoc were recognized in a recent article that ran in the Chambersburg Public Opinion and the Echo-Pilot that chronicled “10 women who blazed a trail in sports in Franklin County.”

Reporter Dylan Jacobs’ article detailed several women for their pioneering accomplishments. 

Spence Gracey was an 11-time NCAA All-American, 8-time NCAA National Champion, 10-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Athlete of the Year and three-time Academic All-American ® for the Raiders who represented Shippensburg Area Senior High School before arriving on campus. In 2016, she was the top U.S. finisher at the Boston Marathon.

Van Scyoc will enter her seventh season as the head coach of SU Softball in 2023, having directed the Raiders to a 140-104 record with four PSAC Tournament appearances and a 2022 NCAA Tournament appearance. She played for Shippensburg Area Senior High School and played collegiately at the University of Virginia for four seasons, appearing in 199 career games.