“From San Diego to Ann Arbor, water polo was my life for over a decade. This sport changed me as a person, shaped me as a woman, and gave me best friends and family. Eternally grateful for everyone and everything,” captioned Grace Harbaugh when she jumped into the pool on her graduation day in May 2024. The daughter of LA Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, Grace, attended the same university where her dad was coaching but played a different sport. It was natural for her to have some athletic genes.

Although Grace Harbaugh graduated, Michigan’s water polo team will always remember her. Once a Wolverine, always a Wolverine. And Grace would not be too happy watching her former team struggle at the 2025 Aztec Invitational. Though Michigan had a strong start, beating Bucknell 16-13 on the opening day on Friday, the day became disappointing as they lost two games. First, No. 2 USC beat them 18-7, and the other loss was against No. 11 UC San Diego.

Freshman Ari Karampetsou scored three goals in Michigan’s win against Bucknell. Ashley O’Neill, who once played alongside Grace, also added two goals to the scoreboard. But in Sunday’s game against USC, the Michigan team fell short. USC had a 3-0 lead within the opening minutes of the game. Grace’s former team’s defense bounced back, with Emma Gustafsson scoring three goals. By halftime, USC’s Trojans had a 12-5 lead. In the third quarter, the Wolverines couldn’t put anything on the board. The Trojans added three more points, bringing their total to 15 before the final period.

Then, in the second game, the Wolverines had a strong start with a 3-0 lead. They were up 8-6 at halftime, but San Diego’s Tritons made a comeback. Michigan eventually lost a nail-biter, 13-12.

But after the two losses, the team bounced back on Sunday, with their former player cheering them on from the sidelines.

Grace Harbaugh brings the energy, Michigan brings the win

During her time at Michigan, when Jim was training Michigan’s football team, Grace found her heart with the Michigan Wolverines water polo team. And Jim couldn’t have been happier, as he always wanted his kids to play a sport. Back in 2017, the Chargers coach shared in an interview with GQ that he never pressured his older kids to play sports, but he had always wanted them to.

So after a few months after graduating, Grace took some time out to support her former team at the Aztec Invitational on Sunday. “Seeing your old team play,” Grace captioned as she shared a story from San Diego. The Wolverines beat Harvard 9-7. The win must have made Grace’s weekend more fun. After two losses, Michigan finally made a comeback. It looks like Grace’s presence did bring some energy to the team.

During her senior year, she played in 21 out of 33 games. Grace had a career-high 4-point game against Salem University in March 2023. Grace always had a passion for water polo. Having been a swimmer all her life, she saw water polo as the perfect blend of everything she loved about sports. 

All in all, Grace had a fun weekend watching her former team win and spending the weekend at home.