Brianna Chisholm enters her senior year as one of the most well-rounded student-athletes on the team. She is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic first-team selection, also earning the ITA Mountain Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award last season. Chisholm played at the No. 2 spot last season, coming away with eight singles wins and multiple key doubles victories.
Q: Why did you choose to play tennis at Utah?
A: I wanted to play in the Pac-12 but I also wanted to stay closer to home, which made Utah the perfect fit for me.
Q: What is your favorite part about being a part of the Utah tennis program so far?
A: The Utah program is all about supporting and building each other up and I have loved that feeling from both my coaches and teammates.
Q: When did you start playing tennis and what drew you to the sport?
A: I started playing tennis as soon as I could walk and hold a racket. My mom played tennis at BYU so she introduced me to it, but it started out as a fun family activity.
Q: Who have been your biggest influences in life on and off the court and why?
A: My parents and my husband. My mom and dad have been with me through everything. My dad was my coach and got me to where I am and my mom was my biggest cheerleader and helped me with my mental game. They gave up everything to make sure their kids could follow their dreams. My husband is another influence as he has been part of my life for the past five years. He has supported me and taught me how to stay in the moment and not take anything for granted. Life is too short to always be thinking about "what's next."
Q: What do you think is important in the balance between school and athletics?
A: Time management and discipline. Being successful as a student and an athlete is impossible if you are unable to manage time and be willing to work extremely hard.
Q: What have been some of the hardships in your career and how did you get past them?
A: Being injured has been a hardship during my career but I have been able to get past them by focusing on the positive. It may make things harder but it hasn't prevented me from competing at a high level.
Q: What are you looking forward to most this season?
A: I am looking forward to having a great group of freshmen coming in to add to our already strong team. With it being my senior year I am excited to leave it all on the court.
Q: If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A: Homemade BBQ chicken pizza!
Q: If someone made a movie about your life, what actor/actress would play you?
A: I think Sandra Bullock would do a good job in a movie about my life. She is strong and has a great sense of humor. I like to say things how they are and I think she would do a great job portraying who I am.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
A: I would want to be invisible because let's be honest we all have curious bones in our body and who wouldn't want to be in everyone's conversations without actually being seen?Â
Q: If you could create a holiday, what would it be?
A: It would be National Kindness Day. For one whole day no one is allowed to be mean, say negative comments, start a war, etc. It would be world peace for a day.
Q: If you could live in any country, what would it be and why?
A: I would live in one of the western European countries. The food is great, the weather is beautiful and there is so much history there.
Q: If you could use three words to describe yourself, what would they be?
A: Generous. Determined. Strong.
Q: If you had to delete every app on your phone but one, what app would you keep?
A: I think I would keep Instagram. I love seeing my childhood friends and keeping up with what everyone is doing. It's hard to stay in touch with everyone but Instagram allows me to stay in the loop.
Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
A:Â I would buy a house with my husband and then give a lot of it to my parents to pay them back for everything they did for me growing up and even until this day.
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