Strength Leads Brittany Hipple To Forefront At UT
Brittany Hipple has been involved in athletics ever since her father registered her for tee ball at the age of 5. So, when a high speed collision left Hipple and her father pinned against a tree, there were concerns if she would ever again be able to continue to play softball at such a high level.
In the midst of Hurricane Dennis, Hipple and her father were driving home from Jacksonville, Fla. after a softball tournament. It was a stormy June evening. The highway visibility was low, making the road conditions too dangerous for recommended speeds let alone excessive speed.
With Hipple sleeping in the passenger seat, a car sped past her on the right side, at a speed of approximately 90 mph. Hipple explained how the other car hit a puddle and lost control, forcing her car to be hit at the front right corner. "I woke up immediately," she said "The car hit us and spun us around, sending us into the median where we collided into a couple of trees."
Although Hipple was wearing her seatbelt, she sustained some injuries from the collision. "My dad said we're lucky we're not road signs," she explained as she recalled the accident. "He ended up in the back seat. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt and hit his head pretty badly," she recalled about her father.
Hipple had to go through a year of physical therapy to overcome extensive back problems from the accident. Her father suffered from short term memory loss for a year and also has permanent wrist pain. The driver at fault, who struck Hipple's Chevy Avalanche, received six citations for the accident, which Hipple describes as a "near death experience."
More recently, Hipple tore her ACL while playing softball at The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. This led to her undergoing reconstructive knee surgery which sidelined her for the remainder of the season.
Determined, Hipple trained extensively to rebuild the strength in her leg. The hard work paid off as she now plans to start at first base for the Tampa Spartans' softball team. She hopes to continue to work hard to get her knee completely healthy so that she can return to her natural position at shortstop.
A native of Venice, Fla., Hipple maintained a stellar reputation, both in the classroom and on the field. In four years, Hipple helped her softball team to a 97-18 record. In this time, she batted a remarkable .511 with 44 RBI and a .575 on-base percentage.
She was also named to the Florida 5A All-State first team as a junior and senior, named Sarasota Herald Tribune All-Area shortstop in 2006 and 2007, and was also the publication's 2007 Player of the Year.
In the classroom, Hipple always showed a great interest in medicine. She has interned with a local orthopedic surgeon where she had the privilege of observing 23 surgeries. At The University of Central Florida, Hipple was a pre-med major.
She has changed her major to sports management since transferring to the University of Tampa where she is a junior with sophomore athletic eligibility.
In her spare time, Hipple lends a hand to the community. She is a member of Habitat for Humanity and was a reading tutor for elementary students in her home town. She maintains a solid, 3.14 GPA and plans to go to med school after graduating with Bachelor of Science. When asked about the grueling work and reputation of medical school, she simply replied, "It's worth it."
Written by Aaron Daley