SHOWING GRACE: Graciela Dominguez makes a play in the infield this past spring for the Princeton University softball team. Rising Tiger senior star Dominguez is playing this week for the Dominican Republic team in the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Justin Feil
Graciela Dominguez will celebrate two important parts of her life when she participates this week in the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Dominguez is headed to the CAC Games to play softball. A rising senior at Princeton University, star infielder Dominguez was selected as a first team All-Ivy League selection this past spring after helping the Tigers win their fifth straight Ivy regular season title.
“I’m super excited,” said Dominguez. “I mean, to play on an international stage is huge, so I’m definitely going to take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of it.”
Making it all the more meaningful is the chance to represent the Dominican Republic and playing in the biggest international tournament she has ever competed in. Dominguez’s mother is Dominican and her father is Dominican American.
“Growing up Dominican has been a huge part of shaping my identity,” said Dominguez. “My parents have instilled familial values and cultural values my whole life, which have been super important. I’m very proud to be Dominican-American.”
It’s even bigger that the Dominican Republic is hosting the CAC Games. She’s been to the Dominican Republic for some vacations when younger, but the event is giving her a deeper and more personal connection on this trip. Her mother remembers in 1986, the last time the Dominican hosted the CAC Games and seeing all the teams and the opening ceremony. She was hoping that her daughter could be a part of that experience first-hand as a player when they realized the Dominican Republic was hosting this summer.
“She was like, if you were able to have the opportunity to represent and be on that stage, that would mean the world to me,” said Dominguez. “So, of course, I’m not just doing it for my heritage and my culture but for my family and for my mom in particular who has a childhood connection to this.”
The Games run July 24 through August 8. The softball competition began July 26 with the medal games scheduled for July 31.
“Playing on an international stage is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I’m definitely excited to play with a lot of cultural pride and also against some of the top competition in the world at that point,” said Dominguez. “So that’s awesome.”
Dominguez is hoping to help the Dominican the same way that she sparked Princeton in the spring. She put together the fourth highest batting average, .427, in program history and her 70 hits rank fifth all-time in a season for a Princeton player. She took a little break from the game after the long season that ended in the NCAA tournament, but was back training over the last few weeks in preparation to pick up where she left off.
“I think it all comes down to just my mindset and my mental approach to the game,” said Dominguez. “I think the physical part, I just have to genuinely get in shape. But when it comes to competition mode and how I approach competition, it’s definitely going to continue because I love to win more than anything. And so when I’m in the box and there’s another pitcher in front of me, I’m ready to go at it.”
Dominguez has been a player on the rise for the Tigers with her statistics jumping each season. After batting .207 in limited at bats over 29 games, including 10 starts, as a rookie, she came back as a sophomore to earn honorable mention All-Ivy mention after raising her average to .325 while making 44 starts and playing 46 games. This year, she raised all her numbers again.
“It definitely attributes to my mental game and my mindset once again,” said the 5’6 Dominguez, who hails from Vienna, Va. “I think the moment I started putting less external pressure on things like statistics or playing time or the people in the crowd, whatever is external from what I can control, once I put less agency on those, less pressure on those, I was able to really channel what was within myself. And that is just my competitiveness and willingness to do anything to help my team win.”
Dominguez came out of this spring proud of herself, but the statistics weren’t the biggest thing for her. It was her maturity and growth and how she handled herself amid rising pressure that comes from being a top player and her inner expectations. She was much healthier in her approach.
“I’m just proud of the journey that I’ve made mentally to be stronger,” said Dominguez.
It’s an approach that will serve her well in the intense international competition this week. She is better suited now to take on this new challenge after being able to adapt through her college career.
“I think it’ll be similar to how I handle Princeton,” said Dominguez. “It is a one-week opportunity, so I definitely want to soak in the entire experience, make relationships, and just enjoy all the festivities. But then when it comes to game time, I’m ready to win, and I’m ready to compete. So again, when I’m on that field, it’s like I’m going all out. But when I’m outside the field, I can have some fun.”
Dominguez has been looking forward to the event. She got involved in the Dominican Republic national team system when she tried out at only 13. As she got older, the Dominican wanted to use her more, but the international opportunities always conflicted with summer plans and eventually Princeton scheduling. The Northern Virginia resident played in a local league after her freshman year at Princeton, and spent much of the summer in Japan after her sophomore year. She was thrilled to see that it would work out this year to represent the Dominican in international competition.
“The time lined up perfectly for this summer since I have an internship at home and I could train at home but also get that time off to compete internationally,” said Dominguez.
She is getting closer with her new Dominican Republic teammates while in competition. She played in an international challenge tournament in Colorado with one of her Dominican Republic teammates, Atalyia Rijo, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, and she played with former UC Riverside player Leah Brito in an international event in Florida in high school. The team is looking to bond as they try to win the event as the host country. For Dominguez, it’s
a final competition before
she heads into her senior year at Princeton.
“I’m super excited,” said Dominguez. “Just to take those lessons that I’ve learned my entire career, but particularly in my time at Princeton into my senior year, I think I’m most excited for helping guide my younger teammates through their journey because the transition from high school to college is a big step and I’ve tried to help people in the past by just leading by example or just kind of talking through my past experiences, how I used to handle a situation and now this is how I approach it. So I think being a senior will give me even more confidence and be able to use my platform
as a future leader.”
Dominguez is a major part of the Tigers’ returning parts. She is hoping to keep the team atop the Ivy League even after graduating some important pieces from this year’s team.
“We made a great milestone this year by being in the top 25 mid-majors, having a record-breaking season and only losing three games, so I think our next goal is to have our season like last year where we won a championship and went to regionals,” said Dominguez. “But I know all of us were really hungry to do even more damage and our goal is continuing our championship mindset and getting what’ll be six championships in a row in program history. We’re making moves to get there.”
Dominguez’s international event will give her some added experience before she returns. With the NCAA’s new “5 for 5” rule, she could continue elsewhere outside the Ivy League if she wants to use her fifth year of college eligibility. That’s one consideration for her future beyond her final year at Princeton. She also could be lined up for more international competition with the Dominican team.
“I definitely would be interested,” said Dominguez. “I know in years past, they’ve reached out to me for the Pan American Games, which is usually held in like November, December. But I unfortunately haven’t participated because that’s right when Princeton finals are. So I think after graduating Princeton, I’ll definitely explore that and perhaps pursue that as well.”