Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight: Grace Middleton & Charlie Kelleher

By Haley Donovan
Special to UNHWildcats.com

This week's Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight features ice hockey seniors Grace Middleton and Charlie Kelleher.

Grace is a forward from Midland, Mich., and is an Exercise Science major. Grace has earned numerous accolades, including being a three-time AHCA All-American Scholar, and a three-time member of the Hockey East All-Academic Team. She has played in 105 games, notching eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points.

Charlie is a forward from Longmeadow, Mass., and is a Marketing major. He was just recently named the team captain for the 2020-21 season. For his career, Charlie has 13 goals and 50 assists for 63 points as he has the most career assists of any player on the team. Charlie grew up watching the Wildcats as his brother Tyler was an All-American for UNH who graduated in 2017.

Now let's get to know Grace and Charlie!

Q&A WITH GRACE

Who have been some positive influences? Why have they been a positive influence?

My family has definitely been a positive influence in my life through both sport and not through sport. They have always been there for me supporting me in anything I do whether that be hockey or life. My parents and I used to travel two hours one way to go skating three to four times a week for six years due to the unavailability of girls' youth travel hockey in our area. I'm extremely grateful for my parents and all the sacrifices they've made for me to get to the collegiate level. Also, my high school teachers back home in Michigan have always been understanding and supportive of my hockey career along with balancing school, and they have always believed in me. Specifically, Mr. Frye, Mr. Blasy, Mr. Schulte and Mr. Richards have been big supporters for me then and now.

How did it feel to defeat Providence in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Tournament and to advance to the semifinals as it was the first time in 10 years that the program has done that?

It was so exciting when we swept Providence during the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Tournament last season, especially with that being UNH's first appearance to the semis in 10 years! Going into the series, our team felt really confident that we would come out on top, and we did! It was so fun to celebrate with the team in the locker room afterwards and on the bus ride back to New Hampshire!

What are the similarities and differences between Michigan and New Hampshire?

Michigan and New Hampshire are pretty similar to each other, which is why I felt a sense of being at home when I stepped on campus for the first time! The fall in Michigan is beautiful, but I would have to say that New England tops it. Also, Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes versus New Hampshire which has the Atlantic Ocean. I'm definitely a lake person over an ocean person, though. Other than that, the people of New Hampshire are similar to the people of Michigan; they are pretty polite like they are in the Midwest.

What would you tell your freshman year self?

I would tell my freshman year self to enjoy the ride of being a collegiate student-athlete because it goes by faster than you think! I would also say to embrace the ups and downs of sports and life because that's what makes you stronger.

OFF THE ICE WITH GRACE

Favorite color: Blue
Favorite TV show: Blindspot
Favorite movie: Back to the Future
Favorite food: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Favorite snack: Peanut Butter Crackers
Favorite musical artist: Brendon Urie (P!ATD)
Favorite pump up song: Burn the House Down (AJR)
Favorite phone app: Instagram
Favorite sports team: Detroit Red Wings
Favorite sports athlete: Pavel Datsyuk
Dream job: Physical Therapist

Q&A WITH CHARLIE

How does it feel to follow your brother's footsteps playing hockey for UNH and what has he taught you about being a Wildcat?

Growing up I was extremely fortunate to have two older brothers that were such great role models for me. Hockey wise, I always looked up to Tyler and learned so much from him. I remember when I was in seventh grade, I came with him on his first tour of UNH and we both immediately fell in love with the school. He committed shortly after and I made it my goal to follow in his footsteps and play at UNH as well. During my time in Durham, he has always been there to give me advice and tips. The most important thing he told me was to enjoy my time here because it goes by in the blink of an eye. He was right.

Your parents have been going to UNH hockey games for the past eight years. What does that support mean to you?

Their support has been unbelievable. I don't know if I can point out a home game that at least one of them hasn't been there. They both offer so much support with hockey and everything else. I can say that Durham will always be a very special place to my family and I.

Do you have any pre-game routines?

I have a couple routines on game day that I like to follow. I generally like to keep it pretty consistent with the timing of everything, including when I take a pregame nap and when I arrive at the rink. Nothing too exciting.

What will you miss about UNH and being a part of the hockey team?

There are so many things I am going to miss about UNH. The obvious things of course like playing in front of a packed Whittemore Center on a Saturday night and the support we have from our fans and students. The thing I am going to miss the most is seeing and being around my teammates every day. The things that separates UNH from other schools are the people in and around the program. I have made lasting relationships with the staff and especially met some of my best friends here.

OFF THE ICE WITH CHARLIE

Favorite Color: Red
Favorite TV show: Entourage
Favorite Movie: Step Brothers
Favorite Food: Chicken Parm
Favorite Snack: Brownies
Favorite Musical artist: Post Malone
Favorite Phone app: Instagram
Favorite Pro sports team: Red Sox
Favorite Pro sports athlete: David Ortiz
Favorite Place on campus: Whittemore Center

Check back every Monday to get to know two more Wildcats as part of the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight. Thank you to Service Credit Union for sponsoring the Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Previous 2020-21 Student-Athlete Spotlights

Lisa Olsson (Women's Ski) & Nick Guadarrama (Men's Basketball)
Kate Bilyeu (Women's Volleyball) & Patrick Kenney (Men's Skiing)
Faith Bonett (Women's Basketball) & Angus Crookshank (Men's Ice Hockey)
Ava Boutilier (Women's Hockey) & Aidan Sullivan (XC/Track & Field)
Bloem van den Brekel (Field Hockey) & Jacob Gould (Men's Soccer)

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