Tufts Blogs

Why play two sports at a Division III? It’s because of her “love of the game.” One of the first NESCAC Players of the Week this fall for starting the season with 6 straight shutouts and this week’s admissions spotlight, I'd like to introduce Bri Keenan to the admissions interwebs! Following our recent conversation, it’s no surprise to me that she is a co-captain on the Field Hockey team this fall. As a former dual sport athlete to a current dual sport athlete, I'd say that Bri Keenan is certainly a gamer that I'd choose for my team any day. She has a very laidback demeanor, but I could definitely tell there was a fierce competitor under that smile (see the photos below).

When contemplating competing in two sports during college, Bri had this exchange with her dad as a junior in high school: “Well, you know if you go to Tufts you’ll have a legitimate shot at winning a national championship in two sports.” Who would believe their father (and coach) when he says something like this? However, his statement came true after Bri and her team won the Field Hockey National Championship in fall 2012 and the Softball National Championship in spring 2013 (and won again in softball during 2014). Bri and her father had a good laugh when remembering that conversation.

Bri noted during our talk that the transition to college can be difficult both athletically and academically at times. She struggled athletically during her freshman year in both sports, but she stayed committed to both teams through conversations with coaches and teammates. However, through struggle comes learning and some memorable personal triumphs like stopping a penalty stroke in the national quarterfinal against another NESCAC opponent or two game changing plays in the same game during the Division III Softball World Series of 2013. Her favorite personal memory is a toss-up between throwing out the potential go ahead runner at home plate in the 6th inning and hitting a triple in the 9th inning to plate the eventual game winning run.  

Bri has always had a passion for sports and the field of engineering as a career, but she didn't know which engineering concentration to choose when entering Tufts. This was the first time she was truly able to pick her coursework and make future plans, so she was excited to take full advantage of the small size of the School of Engineering. Bri was initially interested in chemical engineering then took a freshman elective, “Usability Engineering,” through the Mechanical Engineering department with Professor Daniel Hannon and dabbled some with mechanical engineering. She eventually found a home by the end of freshman year as a human factors engineer (Engineering Psychology) and has continued to be fascinated by the relationship between human and technology.