Athlete Of The Month – Cassie Graca

When you look at the Athlete Leaderboard, you will see that the female record for Trap Bar Deadlift is 285 lbs and Sumo Deadlift is 215, both set by the same person, Cassie Graca, who has been named Infinite Fitness’s newest Athlete of the Month. In addition to working her tail off in the gym and having another EAC and Herald News All-Star caliber winter track season, she had herself an impressive spring, helping lead the Raiders back to postseason play.

Graca also earned Eastern Athletic Conference All-Star honors, as well as being name to the Fall River Herald News All-Star team, both for the second time. The centerfielder earned those honors in part due to her .436 batting average this season, while also scoring 22 runs.

Currently, the Somerset-native is playing summer ball for the Mass Drifters 18U Gold team, where she continues to tear up her competition, batting .449 with 35 hits, and knocking in 16 and scoring 25 times. It comes as no shock to the Infinite Fitness Team to see Graca have this massive amount of success.

“Cassie walks quietly, but carries a big stick,” Infinite Fitness strength coach Nick Friar said. “You see this quiet, respectful girl who enters the room and goes right to work. Then she starts moving weight around that’s one and a half, or sometimes double, her bodyweight, and she’s reaping rewards as a result. It’s no shock she has done so well, and I expect she will only continue to improve. Whatever college invests money in her for a four-year period, I guarantee they get a better return than they anticipate.”

In addition to her statistical improvements, Graca has seen some other numbers rise the College teams will hopefully take notice. She made a remarkable 15 mph jump on her throw from the outfield, improving from 43 mph to 58 mph. Furthermore, she’s reaching first base from home in 2.6 seconds, and skittering around all four bases in 11.31 seconds.

Graca’s mom, Diane, has noticed a change in her daughter since she started atInfinite, and attributes it to the structure.

“When Cassie became an athlete at Infinite, we were impressed by the detailed Q & A session that (coach) Mike (Fernandes) had with her,” Diane expressed. “He made sure she had three goals to work towards, all of which she has met. We like the structure of the program; they continue to increase Cassie’s reps and weights, which allows her to always strive for her full potential. We have seen dramatic improvements with her batting, arm strength, and speed. She has consistently improved her running times and jump distance in track & field, too. It is a controlled program designed to protect against injuries. She is motivated to go to the gym, and the environment is great because they celebrate her success and she gets to witness other athlete’s success. The staff always pushes her to do her very best in a caring, yet motivational way. It was obvious from her very first day at Infinite that everyone there had a vested interest in making her a better athlete and person and we are grateful that they have continued to do that.”

The soon-to-be senior also exemplifies everything we hope for out of our athletes, sporting a 4.17 GPA, while taking AP and Honors courses. Furthermore, she is a National Honor Society Member and was named to the Advisory Committee for the 2016 U.S. Super STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Competition in the Structural Division. This is yet another great addition to her high school resume, assisting in her pursuit of attending a Division I College.