Mia Gray’s first trip to Gainesville, a little over a month after committing to the University of Florida, came with an unexpected obstacle: a hurricane.
The Rochester, New York, native visited in August 2024 and wasn’t sure at first if she would make it because of the forecast. The first day was clear, but Hurricane Debby made landfall the second day. The midfielder’s flight back home was canceled and she stayed a few extra days.
“I’ve never seen one in my life, so it was kind of cool,” Gray said.
Gray grew up a stranger to hurricanes — but not to sports. Her father, Chris, played football at the University of Buffalo, while her mother, Gina, competed in college soccer at Monroe Community College and SUNY Brockport. Her sister, Ava, plays soccer at Genesee Community College.
“My mom played soccer, so obviously she wanted us to play,” Gray said.
Gray started dabbling in the sport at 3 years old and was so exceptional her mother told her to stop scoring goals so other kids could have a chance.
Her mother also coached her for a short time when she was younger, setting very high expectations.
Those on-field lessons continued off the field during postgame car rides, when Gray’s parents broke down what she could improve on.
Gray took those early teaching moments to the WNY Flash Soccer Academy, where she played all four years of high school. Her relentless drive to improve caught the attention of many and translated to success on the pitch. From the beginning, she stood out to head coach Eric Dade.
“Mia didn’t take a day off,” Dade said. “She was a very committed and dedicated kid, and when you look back at it, I think that’s what separated her from the others.”
Shining brighter than others on the pitch is especially noteworthy when playing alongside elite-level competition. Twenty players in Gray’s group committed to play at a Division I school, attesting to the caliber of talent the academy developed. Among these promising recruits, Dade credits Gray with molding an atmosphere that produced high levels of talent.
Her work ethic translated to success with her high school team, too. Gray brought Byron-Bergen High School four straight state championship appearances and fired home a title-clinching overtime goal in 2024.
“It’s hard for schools to win state championships and my daughter scoring the winning goal was very exciting, so it left a lasting impression on me,” Gina said. “Everybody was so proud of the team and her.”
Gray’s consistent effort led her to be selected for the ECNL Ohio Valley All-Conference first team in the last three years. The New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports named her the Class C player of the year in 2024 and 2025. She was also named a 2025 United Soccer Coaches High School Fall All-American.
Gray graduated high school early and joined the Gators for spring training. She came from thousands of miles away — just like fellow freshman recruit Courtney Hogan.
“I think Courtney played a huge role in being able to function individually by myself,” Gray said. “It was such a really good thing that I went down early because I think I learned so much.”
Spring training gave her a taste of the intensity college matches require. With seven other freshmen recruits sharing the same goal of going pro, Gray found even more inspiration and a heightened desire to compete.
Now entering her freshman season, she hopes to maintain the same mindset that brought her to UF.
“I can just keep working hard at practice, and everybody’s equally as good as you,” Gray said. “Coming to every game with a good mindset is helpful.”
With her freshman season looming and expectations awaiting, Gray also has an added source of inspiration that hits close to home: She shares a hometown with Abby Wambach, a former Gator and U.S. women’s national soccer player from 2003 to 2015.
Wambach led UF’s women’s soccer team to its first and only title in 1998. Almost 30 years later, Gray is chasing the same dream – bringing a championship to Gainesville.
The magnitude of the task isn’t lost on Gray. Her main goal for her freshman season is to get as far as she can in the NCAA Tournament.
Contact Colby Kistner at ckistner@alligator.org. Follow him on X @colbykistner22.
Colby is a sports journalism senior in his second semester with the Alligator covering golf. He has experience covering Buchholz and Santa Fe High School sports and also worked in UF's innovation center where he wrote and created radio content for WRUF. Furthermore, he is interning at Idaho Education News Center in Boise and is looking to minor in business. In his free time, he watches the Seattle Kraken and the NHL as a whole.
