Utah softball player Ally Dickman helped organize a memorial vigil, stage a holiday dinner, arrange a mental health awareness event and coordinate the athletic department’s awards night.
She immersed herself in all those activities, trying to maximize her senior year. Dickman succeeded, and here’s the unexpected payoff: She has raised her batting average by 159 points this season, boosted by a 5-for-5 game Wednesday in an 11-2 win at BYU.
“In sports, performance is always up and down,” she said. “You could put in 100-percent effort every single day and still go 0 for 10.