Triple threat

When asked to make a decision, Anna Donohue couldn’t do it.

Donohue, a three-sport athlete at Briarwood Christian School, has played volleyball, basketball and softball throughout high school and participated in all three of the last six years.

Upon entering her junior year, she attempted to cut one of the sports from that list. Always being “in season” can be challenging for a high school student, and she said she could see the benefits of just playing two sports at the school. 

But the choice was impossible. Donohue loves volleyball, has played with the same core group of girls on the basketball team for five years and has been on a softball field since she could pick up a bat.

“I couldn’t think about not playing one,” she said.

If you ask Donohue what her favorite sport is, the answer will vary depending on the time of year.

She explained, “I just enjoy playing all three of them. When I’m in that season, I say this is my favorite sport, but when I go to the next season, I say this is my favorite sport.”

Donohue is now a senior, and yes, she’s still playing all three. 

Limited hours

There are certainly challenges to playing three sports at the high school level. Missing a day of school is not optimal, Donohue said, but sometimes there is no other choice. 

Academics and a single sport are demanding items on the schedule of a high school athlete, but Donohue has made it work with three sports by exercising time management skills and discipline. 

The night before a game, she makes sure to do any outstanding homework. She admits to procrastinating but understands she can’t do it often. Last year, she had to make the most of her time in study hall due to a heavy load of coursework along with her athletic responsibilities.

“I have a limited number of hours if I want to get any sleep,” she said. “It does push me to actually do it and get things done.”

Donohue said she gets about a week off between seasons, as volleyball in the fall transitions to basketball in the winter. She then trades the hardwood for the dirt once spring arrives.

“That’s sometimes hard, and getting home later hurts school sometimes. It’s hard never have a season off or taking time to relax,” she said.

It’s not like she would trade it, though. Playing different sports allows her to avoid any semblance of “burnout,” something many young athletes experience as a result of playing one sport year-round. 

“I think this is a good way to stay fresh,” Donohue said.

A competitor

Donohue is one of the most recognizable names on the Briarwood roster — no matter which sport she is playing — and has been for the last few years.

She excels as the Lions libero on the volleyball court, even as she transitioned from the setter position following her sophomore year. She shares primary ball-handling duties in the backcourt for the basketball team, and she is a middle infielder and top-of-the-order hitter on the softball team.

She made the varsity basketball and volleyball teams as a 10th-grader but has been on the softball team since eighth grade. 

“She is awesome,” said Jeff Robertson, head volleyball coach at Briarwood. “Her leadership on the court is essential to the success of our team. She’s the backbone of our defense … It is a joy and a pleasure to coach her.”

Robertson said Donohue’s athleticism and competitive nature allowed her to make the move to libero smoothly.

When asked about that competitive nature, Donohue’s face turned red and a smile crept across her face. Her desire to win stretches beyond the real games.

“I’m really competitive,” she said. “It’s not bad, but I’m pretty competitive. Little drills and games we do, a lot of the girls [on the volleyball team] are competitive and it gets really intense.”

On the hardwood, Donohue plays in the backcourt, often alongside Morgan Hutchinson. The two are part of a group of seniors who have played on the same team since junior high.

“She’s the kind of player who plays hard all the time, really good defensive player, really does a good job for us,” said Jim Brown, the girls basketball coach at Briarwood.

Briarwood hired Ashley Segreto to coach the softball program, and she will get one season to coach Donohue, who has played across the infield and expects to see most of her time at shortstop in the spring.

Finishing strong

Donohue admitted there is added pressure with this being her last year to play sports competitively. Her years at Briarwood will come to an end, and her athletic feats will soon be restricted to intramural opportunities in college.

“When I was in eighth grade, it was easy to sit back and watch and not worry too much about all of it because I have so many more years with it,” she said.

She originally dreaded the thought of being the veteran in the locker room, but now that she is one, she said it has been a positive experience to become more of a vocal leader.

Donohue plans to attend Auburn University, with the idea of majoring in elementary education or international studies. But she’s going to enjoy what time she has left on the court and the field.

“I think it’s going to be really hard. People talk about how that’s the worst part about it. It’s not the losses, it’s actually putting the ball down in the end,” she said.

More than anything, she hopes to leave a legacy. 

“I want to be a person they refer back to as a hard worker,” Donohue said.

As for the future, Robertson thinks the sky is the limit.

He said, “Whatever she’s going to set her mind to, she’s going to do what it takes to make it happen.”