Amanda Off has been spotlighted as a Chenango County Athlete who continues to shine in Athletics beyond the high school arena.

Amanda Off, who graduated from Unadilla Valley high school in 2013, now finds herself continuing her success on the basketball court and in the classroom at Alfred University.

Off was a high school star on the court for the UV Storm as she approached the infamous 1,000-point mark her senior year, falling just short by around 50-points.

Off, a co-captain and now completing her junior year at Alfred will have a second chance at this amazing mark as she currently sits at 944-points after completing her third year on the college court.

“I’m really excited about nearing 1,000-points, a goal I missed in high school. If all goes well, I will be reaching that goal early next season,” said Off before explaining that her points come in the form of free throws as well saying, “I finished ranked 13th in the nation for foul shot percentage with 87.1% so that was pretty cool.”

Off went on to explain that the sport of basketball wasn’t her only sport that she has played in her lifetime, but one that has made a huge impact.

“I tried out a lot of sports when I was younger, but basketball is the one that always stuck with me. I keep playing because it’s what I’ve always been good at, enjoyed, and it has become a part of my identity,” said Off.

While at Alfred University, Off has elected to study in the field of Athletic Training.

“As a junior I need to work a total of 300 clinical hours in addition to my classes. It’s definitely hard to get all these hours in along with playing basketball , studying, and working,” said Off. “But thankfully I’ve had a busy schedule my whole life so I have pretty good time management. Seniors need 400 hours, so next year is definitely going to be a struggle.”

Approaching graduating from UV in 2013, Off wasted no time with hesitating on what her future plans may be.

“I always planned on playing in college, and honestly the transition was pretty smooth. The main difference between high school and college ball is that the game is played at a much faster pace, and everyone I play against is good. Teams don’t really have any weak links since everyone playing at this level has a lot of experience, and every move has to be done automatically,” said Off.

Off explained that the previous coach at Alfred University had heavily recruited her, something that played a role her eventual decision to attend Alfred in the Fall of 2013.

“I was looking at a number of colleges my junior and senior years of high school, but when I visited Alfred I fell in love with the campus and could really see myself fitting into the community there,” explained Off. “The basketball coach at the time was heavily recruiting me, and the girls on the team were very welcoming. I just knew it was the right fit for me.”

While at Alfred University, Off has elected to study in the field of Athletic Training, something she feels passionate about due to the amount of work that is necessary for this major.

“As a junior I need to work a total of 300 clinical hours in addition to my classes. It’s definitely hard to get all these hours in along with playing basketball , studying, and working,” said Off. “But thankfully I’ve had a busy schedule my whole life so I have pretty good time management. Seniors need 400 hours, so next year is definitely going to be a struggle.”

However, Off explained that besides the massive time commitment her major requires that currently Alfred University girls basketball is going through a transition period, as the original coach who recruited Off, has moved on from the program.

“We lost a lot more games than we have in the past, but we are a young team and only graduated one senior. Our new coach really wants to turn the program around and has been recruiting some good players, so we will have a bigger team next year with more talent,” said Off who will be returning as a senior leader on the court this coming 2016-2017 season.

The down year for Alfred saw them post a lackluster schedule record of 2-23.

However, despite the record, Off has stayed optimistic and did take the time to explain that her game on the court rides off her speed, saying, “My favorite part about the game is running. As a post, my speed has always been a strong point since posts aren’t typically the fastest. I love fast breaks and scoring easy layups.”

Off the court, Off keeps herself extremely busy besides finding time to study and maintain a social life, she works in the weight room at her school helping to run the desk, while also managing to find the time to give back to her fellow classmates as she takes the time to tutor students in calculus.

Most recently Off has been recognized by her school, as just last week she was inducted into the Iota Tau Alpha chapter. Iota Tau Alpha is a national athletic training education honor society for students in the field who have a grade point average in the top 35 percent of their class, another achievement for the junior.

“It’s an honor to be invited into this program, along with six other classmates of mine,” said Off.

The accolades seemed to rolling in the direction of the promising junior. After graduation in 2017, Off hopes to further her education by attending graduate school. However, at this time she is unsure where and what she hopes to be studying come 2018.