Audrey Greely

Our January 2017 Spotlight Athlete of the Month is 15-year-old Audrey Greely from Baton Rouge, LA. Audrey is a dual sport sophomore at Parkview Baptist High School. Being extremely gifted and naturally talented, Audrey had her pick of any sport; and at the age of 12, she fell in love with volleyball. Practicing 4-5 days a week, Audrey proved that hard work and determination pays off. She made the Parkview Baptist Varsity Volleyball Team her freshman year, playing left front in the attack zone.  In both her freshman and sophomore years, Audrey earned Varsity letters and helped to lead the Parkview Baptist Eagles to the State Championship quarterfinals. During her sophomore year, Audrey was also recognized as part of the 2016 All-District Team, the 2016 All-Tournament Team at the annual Dunham tournament, and the 2016 All-Tournament team at ESA’s annual Spooktacular Volleyball Tournament. With two years left in high school, Audrey has many awards and accomplishments still waiting for her on the volleyball court. Her personal goals are to be recognized with All District, All Metro, and All State honors, all while leading her Parkview Eagles to both District and State Championships in 2017. We, at Top Choice Athletics, are excited for this young athletic star and we look forward to watching her achieve her goals.

In addition to playing volleyball, Audrey is also an outstanding softball player. She began playing softball when she was 8 years old.  As a freshman, Audrey started on the Parkview Baptist Varsity Softball Team and was awarded First Team All-District, First Team All-Metro, and First Team All-State honors. Her most memorable softball game was last season’s district championship game against Brusly High School. As only Audrey can tell it… “It was the bottom of the 7th, we were down 6 to 4. Two of my teammates got on base before me to extend the inning. When I got up to bat, runners were on first and second with one out. My goal for that at bat was to at least hit the ball in the outfield to try and score a run. I accomplished that and then some when I hit a 3-run walk off home run that helped us win the game and capture the 3A District Title.” Audrey and her teammates went on to compete at the LHSAA All State Sugar Bowl Softball State Tournament. Although they lost in the semifinals to Kaplan High School, they had truly won with their drive, focus, and never give up attitude. Audrey and her Parkview Eagles are looking for another district title this season, and they want to bring home that State Championship to Parkview.

When asked to name her favorite athlete, it’s not surprising that Audrey named Kerri Walsh Jennings. Jennings is a professional beach volleyball player, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. An amazing athlete, no doubt; but prior to becoming such a decorated, volleyball icon, Jennings began her volleyball career just like Audrey, playing on her high school volleyball team. Jennings helped lead her high school volleyball team to multiple state championships, and Audrey hopes to one day accomplish the same. In both her freshman and sophomore years, Audrey has helped her team reach the quarterfinals of the LHSAA All State Sugar Bowl Volleyball State Tournament.  Although the losses have been rough, Audrey has remained poised and positive, stating “to lose 2 years in a row in the quarterfinals has really given me the drive and determination to help get my team back to State next year and hopefully bring a volleyball state title to Parkview.” We, at Top Choice Athletics, are rooting for Audrey and her Parkview Baptist Eagles to bring this title home!

An interesting fact that Audrey shared with Top Choice Athletics is that she is a Type 1 Diabetic. While being diagnosed at the age of 11, she was determined to not let the disease hold her back or limit her in any way. With her amazing support system of family members and doctors, she is able to compete, and continuously excel, on both the volleyball court and on the softball field. Audrey is thankful for all the love and encouragement she receives. She is truly a role-model for everyone, proving that you cannot let obstacles get in the way of your dreams. We, at Top Choice Athletics, are truly amazed by this young athlete, and we are very honored to share her story and highlight her this month.

Audrey has a 3.65 GPA in the classroom.  When asked to give advice to younger athletes, Audrey had amazing insight to share as a student athlete: “Athletics is designed for you to experience success and failure; ultimately athletics builds character. We, as young people, must remember that we are student athletes first. So applying yourself in the classroom should be top priority.”  We, at Top Choice Athletics, could not agree more with Audrey’s advice. Students athletes are “students” first. Hard work must be reflected in the sport, as well as in the classroom. After high school, Audrey plans to attend Southeastern University where she is verbally committed to play softball.  Audrey plans to major in nursing. With this positive insight of understanding the importance of education while being a student athlete, Audrey is destined for greatness at all levels of life.