RRC Scholar-Athlete: Rachel Brummitt
October 06, 2014 | Academics
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Oct. 6, 2014
By Daniel Steffy
Texas Tech Athletics Communications
Rachel Brummitt enters her senior year for Texas Tech volleyball as a star player and leader on the court and in the classroom.
After graduating from Plano West High school in the Dallas area, Brummitt's spent her freshman year playing for Radford University, where she lead the team with 40 aces. Her performance caught the attention of Tech head coach Don Flora, and the following season she walked on to Tech's squad.
"Originally, I was a transfer student and Tech was the only taker I got," Brummitt said. "I just felt really lucky that Don let me come walk on and play."
Brummitt made an immediate impact for the Red Raiders by recording the best single-season defensive performances in school history. Since then, she has been the recipient of various Big 12 Conference honors and was even named to the Collegiate National Team.
Brummitt compliments her athletic success by striving for similar success in the classroom
She was named a 2013 Academic All-Big 12 selection -- given only to athletes who maintain a 3.0 GPA or better.
"It's pretty tough, but our coaches just tell us if you have a rough day or no matter what happens school-wise, when you come to practice all that matters is practice," said Brummitt, who is an advertising major. "So I kind of do that for both. When I'm in class all that matters is what's going on in the classroom and I leave volleyball aside. Being able to separate those things allows me to focus."
Brummitt's classroom-first mentality has helped her accelerate academically. Still, she gives credit to the academic resources Tech athletes have the privilege of using.
"We have the Marsha Sharp (Center)," Brummitt said. "It's a place where we can go in at any time of the day and get tutoring, or have a nice quiet place to study and I think it's a great resource to take advantage of."
On the floor, Tech is off to its best start under Flora, who is in his fourth season as head coach. The Red Raiders ran through non-conference play undefeated with a 12-0 record and have already won two Big 12 matches. Next up for the Red Raiders is a showdown with conference rival Texas on Oct. 9.
Brummitt says she still trying to figure out what she wants to do after graduation, but for now, her focus is on her teammates and her senior year -- but the possibilities could be endless.
"I had an internship this past summer with our sports marketing department here, and I really enjoyed it, so I'm kind of looking into sports marketing".
Flora praises Brummitt's determination on and off the court and stresses the importance of academics as an integral part of the team. Players have a goal of maintaining a team cumulative GPA of a 3.3 or higher. So the drive is not just to succeed on the court, but in the classroom, as well.
"We have reached that goal the last three semesters," Flora said. "Rachel has been a consistent piece of reaching that goal. First and foremost, we want to be champions on the court, then we want to be champions in the things we do in life and in the classroom."
