WAUTOMA, Wis. — While reluctant to pick her favorite sport, Brianna Buechner thinks wrestling holds some advantages.
“It’s kind of like my outlet. If something is bothering me during the day, I can just go on the mat and forget about anything,” explained Buechner.
She certainly has a lot on her plate. As a senior, Buechner plans on participating in a whopping five sports.
This past fall, her volleyball coach Tynae Phillips watched her all-conference setter split time with the cheer team.
“Essentially, Friday nights she was at the football games, and Saturday mornings she was at tournaments with me,” said Phillips. “Her senior year, she was just a stud. She hit her 1,000th assist this year, which was fantastic.”
She also notched 1,000 career points with the basketball team and, in the same season, made it to state as a wrestler.
“The hardest challenge for me is like having a basketball game, I need to be hydrated. I need to be healthy, and then the next day I’m not supposed to eat anything so I can weigh in at my lightest. Then the next day, when we have a tournament on the weekend, it’s the same thing back to back,” said Buechner.
The competitions may slow down for her in the spring when she only focuses on softball. Freshman Laynie Vaughan said she looks up to her busy friend and teammate.
“She’s very, very, very, very, very involved in everything,” said Vaughan, “She’s president of many clubs, and she’s also just an overall good person because she does everything and everybody can just see everything she’s doing too.”
Buechner belongs to just about every club in the school.
“I’m president of FBLA, president of Student Council, I’m in Yearbook, I’m in News Crew, I’m in FCCLA,” said Buechner. “Did I say Link Crew? Oh, and Key Club.”
Her time management is critical. Wautoma High School Vice Principal Jared Esala said Buechner proved she could handle the demands throughout the year.
“She’s a scholar first and as far as grade point average and her class load and taking courses that are challenging,” said Esala. “That’s tough for most high school students, but then also extracurriculars and volunteering in the community. It takes a special person to be able to do that.”
Buechner credits growing up on a farm for her discipline and hard work.
“My first job was rock picking. I’m like, okay, I need to get a good education, do something better so I don’t have to do the hard manual work,” said Buechner.
The straight-A student plans to follow in the footsteps of her parents and older siblings next year when she attends the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Buechner wants to pursue a career in agri-business management.
“I don’t think she’s ever going to slow down. If she keeps the same pace, she’s going to be really successful,” said Esala.
“She’s more than just an athlete. She’s more than just the leader at our school. She’s a goofball on and off the court. She gets along really well with her teammates. She’s just a kiddo that’s really grown and someone that I have loved dearly from the time I met her as a freshman,” said Phillips.
The school and community will look a bit different next year when this star student-athlete, who is involved in just about everything, moves on.
But those who know her recognize the lasting impact she made in four short years.
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