ALEX OTWELL: PULASKI ACADEMY

Alex Otwell
Alex Otwell

While participating in a basketball team camp two years ago, Alex Otwell went up for a rebound and came down not knowing what happened.

“I was told my head hit the floor,” Otwell said. “I was unresponsive and I started twitching.”

At a glance

ALEX OTWELL

SCHOOL Pulaski Academy

GRADE-POINT AVERAGE 4.51

SPORTS Basketball

COLLEGE Arkansas

MAJOR Biology/Pre-med

NOTEWORTHY Born Jan. 17, 1997. … Daughter of Greg and Stacey Otwell. … Scored a 32 on the ACT. … Was an Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholar, earned the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Scholarship, the Women of AT&T Scholarship and the Lynn Nelson Memorial Scholarship. … Member of the Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, National Hispanic Honor Society, Spanish Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Beta Club. … Senior and junior class secretary

An ambulance was called and Otwell was taken to the hospital.

“It was very scary,” said Otwell, who had suffered a concussion. “I spent two days in the hospital, and I was told not to play basketball for a month.”

Otwell recovered and realized her life’s calling. The Pulaski Academy graduate wants to be involved in sports medicine.

“I’ve had sprained ankles and stress fractures,” Otwell said. “With all the injuries I’ve had, I’ve been under the doctor’s care quite a lot. It’s made me want to get into sports medicine and help others with their injuries.”

The concussion was such an influence on Otwell that she made it the theme to her senior thesis — The Sports-Related Concussion Crisis.

“It became a topic I was very interesting in exploring,” Otwell said. “It had to be 50 pages and it took almost the whole year to complete. … I was really proud of it.”

That is not the only thing she can boast about from high school. She scored a 32 on her ACT and compiled a 4.51 grade-point average. This fall she plans to the attend the University of Arkansas Honors College and major in biology and pre-med.

The concussion did not curtail her basketball career. Otwell and the Lady Bruins finished 28-3 this season, advancing to the Class 5A title game before losing to Hot Springs in overtime.

“It was the best season I’ve ever had just because of my teammates,” Otwell said. “It didn’t matter who scored the most. We all wanted to play for the team. It wasn’t like anybody wanted to steal the show.”

Otwell, who led the Lady Bruins in scoring with 12.1 points per game, was not allowed to take a charge her final two years because of her concussion.

“Coaches want you to play good defense and take a charge,” Otwell said. “That was hard for Coach [Rick Treadway] to tell me not to do it.”

Upcoming Events