Afton Brown '19 Recruiting Profile

I believe that a lot of who we become has to do with the way were were raised in our homes.  Our values, work ethic, commitment to education, relationships, religious devotion, career success - they are all significantly shaped by our upbringings.   And I am no exception.  Two of our family's favorite mantras are "We can do hard things" and "Don't settle for average when you have the ability to be great."   Hence I was strongly encouraged to train and complete a rigorous single day 24-mile Rim to Rim hike through the Grand Canyon at age 12, to go out back and take an extra 200 cuts off the tee after team practice, and to push myself so hard in off season team cross training drills that I often left my lunch on the field.  Literally.  But even more important that excelling in sports and physical activities has been my commitment to thrive in school and obtain an education, so I want to find a college that is a great fit both academically and athletically.  I have always made my schooling a top priority and fully expect to obtain both an undergraduate and graduate degree in college.  Although I have not decided on my major yet, I am very interested in using both my strong math and writing skills in my future profession.   

I started playing softball at age 5 and have never missed a season.  I love it more than anything else.  In my pre-teen years and up through junior high,  I played sports year round (softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball and even ran a little track), but since beginning high school I have narrowed it down to my two loves  - softball and volleyball - so I can manage a full load of honors classes and my travel/club ball commitments as well.   I lettered on the varsity team in both softball and volleyball as a sophomore and intend to continue playing both sports.   I have been team captain on most all of my teams.  My coaches tell me that I am funny and have a great sense of humor along with a personality/disposition that fosters real unity on teams.  I think that is a positive attribute to bring to any team along with a die hard desire to work hard, improve and win.  In addition, I am teachable, coachable, dedicated to family,  active in my church, strong in my faith, driven to compete, and committed to excel in all I do.