5/30/2019 Patti Good
Engineer and athlete Alex Wittinger (BSSED 2019) is born to block
Written by Patti Good
Athletes amaze me. The discipline they exude while training and playing is otherworldly to me. The sheer physicality they display on a day to day basis makes me tired just watching them. Each day brings a routine to amass the greatest strength, skill, and perseverance-and that’s just to play the game. To excel at it, an athlete must sacrifice at a level we couch potatoes of the world will never fathom. That’s why, when a person is not only a fierce competitor with their body, but also their mind, it’s an accomplishment that all should know about. The ISE department has one such herculean individual and her name is Alex Wittinger.
Track, Volleyball, Basketball. She’s a whiz at all 3. In high school, Wittinger qualified for track and field championships in hurdles and was offered an athletic scholarship. She was a highly sought after volleyball player and several offers were thrown her way for full rides behind the net; each college hoping the 6’1” powerhouse would play for their program. She also picked up accolade after accolade for her prowess as a basketball forward, ultimately leading to her stint here for the Illini Women’s basketball team. By the time her senior season ended, she had set the University of Illinois’ Women’s Basketball all-time Blocked Shots record, surpassing the total set by the dynamic Karisma Penn-no small feat, to be sure. And speaking of feat- I mean, feet-she set the record even after injuring her right ankle late in the season.
When it comes to blocks off the court though, one of them isn’t a mind block. As an Engineering senior, Wittinger is planning on interning somewhere this summer and hopes to finish up her degree this fall. She’s majoring in ISE with a secondary field in environmental quality. Wittinger, a Delano, Minnesota native, is truly an apple that doesn’t fall far from the tree as her father and brother are also mechanical engineers.
While her college hoops days are behind her now, Wittinger is still hopeful she’ll be recruited to play in the WNBA. If that falls through, she hopes to play ball overseas after she completes her degree. She has an agent, but because of school commitments until January, she will have to wait to see where she might land with a European team. She continues to rigorously train so she’ll be ready for that call.
She’s also excited about the chance to grow in her career of choice. In an interview with Wittinger, she said she found the pairing of engineering and basketball difficult because of the extraordinary effort it takes for both disciplines. She said she learned humility along the way as she had to ask for help to stay on track with her studies. She’d like to thank her coaches, parents, academic support staff at ISE, CARE, and the tutors at the Irwin Academic Center. She’d also like to give a shout out to our very own, Heidi Craddock, who acted as Wittinger’s academic advisor.
When asked about her time at Illinois, Wittinger had this to say, “My time at the University of Illinois has been incredible. I’m grateful for all the people that were willing to help me with my journey as a student athlete as it’s not been an easy road, but it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.”
The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering would like to congratulate the accomplishments of senior, Alex Wittinger. We look forward to your continued awesomeness on and off the court.