Two Sport Athletes

[DonnieS]

EUGENE – Looking ahead to its doubleheader today vs. Portland State at 3 p.m., the No. 14 University of Oregon softball team (29-9, 8-5) announced Wednesday that one of the Pac-12’s most talented student-athletes, freshman Liz Brenner, will join the squad today.
The Portland, Ore., native was a former 6A all-state softball first-team choice as a prep sophomore and catcher/first baseman for the Northwest Blaze club team that won the 2009 ASA 16-U national title. She is better known in Duck circles as an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team volleyball outside hitter last fall, and one of its top basketball post players this winter.
One of the state’s top women’s prep athletes ever, Brenner was the 2010-11 state player of the year for Jesuit High School in both volleyball and basketball, and the state shot put champion and javelin runner-up among her many state honors in all four sports.
Her addition was initiated after the returning NCAA Super Softball Regional advancers lost sophomore infielder/back-up catcher Courtney Ceo to a season-ending knee injury last weekend at Utah.
In the fall volleyball season, Brenner was key to the team’s fifth postseason trip the last six years (and 21-10, 14-8 Pac-12 mark). The All-Pac-12 Freshman Team added her second Pac-12 Freshman of the Week laurel in November after she tied the league regular season high in kills (31) at then-No. 5 Stanford, and hit .651 - the Pac-12’s best season mark with 20 or more kills and eighth-best overall. Overall, she had 14 double-digit kill tallies (including 11 in league play) and topped .300 in nine matches. For the season, she topped Duck newcomers and ranked third on the squad in kills (2.74 per set), and stood third among starters in hitting (.241) and points (2.96 p/s).
After an injury to the Ducks’ top basketball forward and senior All-Pac-12 pick Amanda Johnson in December, Brenner joined the the hoops squad in similar fashion. In her 21 contests at forward, Brenner started eight games, and averaged 5.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 23.8 minutes a game. Her season scoring high - 16 points - came against USC in late January only a month after she joined the team.

Duck Squirrel

Wow. How is she around kryptonite?

[AlwaysImprove]

Wow, that is impressive. I think I made a similar point in the past. I think that Liz is a bit of outlying example.

It is tough for an athlete to succeed at 1 D-1 sport. You see a lot of freshman and sophomore D1 players quit. Maybe over half that start as freshman for a typical Pac12 team are gone by Jan of their sophomore year. Just rolling the math backwards, I believe you have like one, maybe some years two, and on a really really big year, three athletes from a recruiting class that play secure in their job. Most others are fighting every day to stay on the field.

If you have a multiple D1 sport kid it is going to take more than liking and being pretty good at two sports. She is probably the kind of kid that plays 3 pool softball games Saturday morning and then goes to the basketball gym to play pick up basketball for a couple of hours.

[fasterpitch92701]

It can be done, more so in D3, but even then it is a tough challenge. Off season is often "healing season". That's no longer the case with two sports. Scheduling courses with major lab time in the "off season" becomes difficult but the success is often linked to how the school, and the professors, view student athletes. I can assure you that the "healing season" is offset by the fact that you are now training for one sport or the other all year, therefore, you are either fit or.... well... you're fit... all the time. The concept of "getting into shape for xyz" no longer exists. Some may consider that a positive or a negative.

Key item: does the school demonstrate that they already have two sport athletes and, in fact, consider it a truimph of the competitive spirit? When DD was looking at schools, some schools/coaches/mentors never mentioned it. Others noted that they were proud they had two sport athletes and considered it an example of a full college experience that not only includes the sports but the teammates that make up an immediate peer/mentor/social group. But, and here's a big "butt", those same two sport schools typically emphasize that you are there for an education and you can play sports as well. Read: you're here to educate yourself, not play sports and occassionally attend a class. That is pride in the concept of "student athlete". That also means the school knows that prof's need to be reasonably.... reasonably accomodating.

At this exact moment DD is in the library with 5 other teammates (sport #2) study buddies, studying for their chem final. All this with NCAA Regionals starting Thursday. You WILL learn to budget your time.

Enjoy !!!

[3'sDad]

FP: And DD and the study buddies will all score A's on their finals!

[fasterpitch92701]

I don't know about everyone getting A's (hope it's true) but the benefits of having study buddies and the inherent positive... positive peer pressure is good. Also, having teammates who know the ropes, been there, done that and willing to help and mentor cannot be underestimated. That is part of college athletics that is seldom mentioned, never "shows up in the scorebook" and is incredibly valuable.

[jonriv]

I don't know about everyone getting A's (hope it's true) but the benefits of having study buddies and the inherent positive... positive peer pressure is good. Also, having teammates who know the ropes, been there, done that and willing to help and mentor cannot be underestimated. That is part of college athletics that is seldom mentioned, never "shows up in the scorebook" and is incredibly valuable.

That is so true- my daughter's teammates were a huge help- at least one upper classman has taken the course before. Coach's attitude towards academics is also huge.