Gracie Levelston’s journey to BYU is a story of second chances—and she’s the first to admit she never saw it coming.

“I really thought that was going to be it,” Levelston said on the “Y’s Guys” livestream. “I was in the mentality of never picking up my racket again.”

It’s hard to imagine that mindset coming from a former No. 2-ranked recruit in the nation. At 6-foot-1 with a triple-digit serve, Levelston was a force on the court. But a recurring foot fracture derailed her freshman season at UCF, leaving her frustrated and ready to walk away from the sport entirely. Her next move? Following her father’s path into the military.

“I was one step away,” she said. “When you break bones, it’s harder to get a military clearance. The recruiter advised me to get a letter saying I was fit for service. I did that.”

Her parents, Derrick and Cristin, stayed supportive, but watching their daughter abandon her childhood dream was tough.

“When you force a path that isn’t right, you start to have turmoil,” Levelston admitted. “I ignored it and pushed through—until I couldn’t anymore.”

Instead of submitting her military papers, she took a different leap: Levelston entered the transfer portal, thinking, “We’ll see.”

BYU tennis coach Holly Hasler was one of the first to call—but Levelston knew nothing about the program.

“Nothing,” she said with a laugh.

Hasler convinced her to visit Provo, but two days before the trip, Levelston nearly canceled. “I had never been to Utah. My parents had reservations. I’d just visited Michigan State—my dad’s alma mater—and it was amazing.”

But Hasler urged her to come anyway. “She said, ‘Just come and have your own experience. Take that leap and form your own perspective on BYU.’”

That leap changed everything. Now, Levelston is thriving in a state she’d never visited, representing a program she knew nothing about—and proving that sometimes the biggest surprises come from the smallest steps of faith.