Aurielle Brunner has a knack for making very challenging ventures look easy.
The talented junior, who attends Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is rewriting the school’s record books on the track. She is also a member of the basketball team that went 24-4 and made the Division III NCAA Tournament.
On the track, she competes in the heptathlon among other events and has become a force to be reckoned with. Brunner a three-time All-American and so far this season, has set the school record in the heptathlon as well as the 200m. If that wasn’t enough, she is majoring in Human Biology with a minor in psychology.
Aurielle’s path to collegiate greatness wasn’t linear. She originally committed to play basketball at Chatham, but caught the eye of the college track and field coach who convinced her to come out to try out for the team. She showed up to practice three days before an upcoming meet and went on to break three school records. The rest was history.
“My coach looked at me and said ‘well, looks like you’re on the track team,’ and I was like ‘I guess I am,’” she said. “Three years later, here I am a three-time All-American, doing basketball and track with a human biology major, and I’m adding a psychology minor. I don’t think I can sit down, I have to always be doing stuff.”
Brunner prides herself on her defense as a member of the women’s basketball team. Her team-high 122 steals on the season is proof of that. The constant movement and the team’s style of play has also helped her on the track.
“Being active and hands-out on defense definitely helps with track because I’m constantly moving, constantly running those quick jerks and running up and down,” she said. “What I liked the most about our team is that we don’t stop, we never stop. We’re constantly running people to the ground because it’s shot after shot after shot. So it definitely helps in track – just constantly moving.”
Brunner has a blue-collar work ethic, which allows her to be successful in her various endeavors in and out of sport. She credits her parents for helping to instill this mentally that she carries with her every day.
“I definitely owe a lot of it to my parents. My parents are always like, ‘Hey, well, if you want something done, go do it,’ and if I want something done, I’m gonna go do it. I’ve always wanted to be in the human bio major field. So that’s definitely always been my plan. I knew I wanted to play a sport, but I’ve obviously picked basketball first and then picked up track. So that wasn’t planned. But I mean, it’s gone smooth so far.”
While being successful and accomplishing so much brings about pressure, Brunner credits her teammates for lifting her up, cheering her on and supporting her throughout her journey as an athlete.
“They’re just very, very supportive and definitely lift me up especially if I’m having a bad meet or a bad practice, they’ll always bring it up,” she said. “But definitely my coaches and my team have definitely made the experience so much better.”
While competing in two sports wasn’t a part of the original script for Brunner, she’s grateful for the opportunities that she’s been given, even if it means that she’s a little busier than your average collegiate athlete.
“This is not where I saw myself, but I’m glad this is where I’m at,” she said. “I could have been just school the whole way, no sports, nothing. But I’m so glad that I picked up sports along with my college career and academic career. So I’m glad I did that.”
