Brielle Jungblut pushes through adversity to stand out as outstanding athlete
By Michella Chester
Brielle Jungblut, a redshirt junior on the University of South Carolina Aiken Softball team, reflected on her past and how she turned her life around to be the standout student-athlete she is today.
After playing multiple sports in high school, Jungblut felt burnt out and wanted to focus on being a college student, not an athlete. As the semester progressed, however, she quickly realized that she was not satisfied living a life without sports. She made the unexpected decision to tryout for the softball team, and was able to walk-on and play in the spring semester.
Jungblut earned Peach Belt Conference freshman of the week honors just shortly after joining the team, and finished second on the team with a .375 batting average and .405 on base percentage, according to pacersports.com.
However, her sophomore year, she got into some trouble with school, and was ruled ineligible for the 2015 season.
“I was pretty much the student your parents tell you not to be.” Jungblut said in an exclusive interview with USC Aiken Athletics.
After a missed season on the field, Jungblut changed her course and began to excel on the field and in the classroom, not letting one bad semester shake her determination to balance school and sports.
“I don’t regret anything because it made me grow, and from then I’ve been on dean’s list every semester,” Jungblut said. “Being ineligible made me realize what’s important and what’s not. The thought of losing softball and not being able to play with my best friends; that really scared me and helped me shift into gear and make the grades.”
Jungblut plans on staying an extra year at USC Aiken to play her last year of eligibility.
