U.S. Masters Swimming Dorothy Donnelly Service Award

Recipient:	Tracy Grilli
Year:	2025
LMSC:	New England

It was true, Tracy Grilli and Masters Swimming have long been synonymous. In 1996 Tracy began working as the USMS Executive Secretary, a paid position, after Dot Donnelly stepped down and she trained with Dot for 2 months. Tracy loved those days with Dot and she would bring pastries, and Dot made coffee, and they would go over the lesson plan for the day. Tracy would go home with a box of the job’s paper documents and came back the next time with questions and pastries. Tracy left that position in May of 2017, providing over 20 years of dedicated and exemplary service. In 2017, New England (NELMSC) re-launched the NELMSC Hall of Fame, which Tracy was instrumental in starting in 2008.  Tracy served as Chair of the subcommittee, and since then, 84 members were inducted. In addition to the Hall of Fame committee, Tracy created a “Check-off challenge” T-shirt upon which swimmers literally check off each swim after completing it. She continued to volunteer to be NELMSC’s National relay coordinator, and in 2023, she was elected president of the New England Masters Swim Club. Tracy’s wealth of knowledge about all things Masters concerning history, swimmers, and clubs was unmatched. Tracy was supportive of everyone, humble, and a joy to work with. Tracy knew everyone and everyone knew her, and Tracy Grilli was a true ambassador of the sport. In addition, Tracy was kind, compassionate, and competitive - though she was always saying: “Best time of the day” whether she swam a PR, or simply finished a swim, and this became a saying everyone loved to hear.