By PAUL GOTHAM
There can be a sense of responsibility that goes along with being named after a legend of the game.
Mia Gray did her best and then some to live up to that billing during her time on the pitches of Section V and New York State.
The two-time New York State Class C Player of the Year and five-time First Team All-State selection and University of Florida commit put an exclamation point on her scholastic career with an All-American selection as announced recently by the United Soccer Coaches (USC).
“It takes a lot of work to be an All-American,” said the Byron-Bergen senior. “Honestly, it’s a blessing. I couldn’t do it without my teammates who pushed me every day. I’m really grateful for that.”
Gray topped all of Section V this season in goals (46) and points (118) while collecting 26 assists in leading the Bees (19-3-0) to a fifth straight sectional title and their fourth trip to the state final four in five seasons.
“What Mia was great at was bridging that gap from the previous great class that we had,” said Byron-Bergen head coach Wayne Hill. “She played on varsity as a seventh-grader, and that previous year we graduated some really good seniors. People looked at us like ‘what’s going to happen when you guys don’t have those players?’ We had great players. They were just inexperienced. As a seventh-grader, Mia helped bridge that gap. She never played like her age. She never played like a seventh-grader or an eighth-grader.
“That whole class, they just never let the moment get too big for them. They stayed focus on their ability to play. Whatever was needed, they were able to do. Mia epitomized that.”
An All-Region selection a year ago when Byron-Bergen won its first state title in program history, Gray was left off the All-American list. She used that for fuel this season.
“From the beginning of the season, that’s been a goal,” she said. “Getting All-American, your team has to go far. You have to have good stats. You got to make sure you’re playing as a team. That’s definitely something I was trying to work toward.”
Gray continues the string of Section V standouts to earn All-American in recent years: Lindsay Lenhard (Spencerport/2024), Kendall Mesh (Spencerport/2023) and Keegan Smith (Haverling/2023).
“I’ve played with all of them on the Western New York Flash,” she said of the youth soccer academy. “I know the level that they’re at and to be an All-American you have to be at that level. Trying to follow in their footsteps and play at a high level like them helped me understand what it was like to be an All-American.”
Gray can thank her grandfather for her name. He was the one who suggested naming her after United States Women’s National Team star Mia Hamm who was part of teams that won the 1991 and ’99 World Cups along with the 1996 Gold Medal at the Olympics in Athens, Greece.
“My mom’s dad liked her as a player.”
Gray will continue her career at the University of Florida where former Our Lady of Mercy standout Abby Wambach led the Gators to the 1998 NCAA championship.
“She was a phenomenal player,” Gray said of Wambach who was a teammate of Mia Hamm’s on the USWNT. “That played a big role in me going to Florida.”
Wambach scored an International record 184 goals during her career with the national team.
Spencerport’s Liana Tata joined Gray on the USC All-East Region Team.
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