School: Cheltenham
Swimming, Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: Ryan Lochte and Dara Torres
Favorite team: The Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Getting to play Pennsbury in the pouring rain this year and then scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: My freshman year (of lacrosse) one of the seniors really liked checking and always spoke her mind. During one of our games, she fouled a girl who, even after getting the call, complained about the force of the check. My teammate looked at her and said indignantly and with no hesitation, “What d’you think this is, SOFTBALL?!” Our bench and both refs were roaring with laughter, and even the other team had trouble keeping straight faces.
Music on iPod: I like the most random music in the world…everything from pop to country to oldies to Disney music. For pre-game jamming, it has to be something dance worthy though, and, of course, no pre-game ritual would be complete without Fort Minor’s “Remember the Name” and Usher’s “More”!
Future plans: Be a student-athlete at Messiah College and spend time studying/volunteering abroad…after that, I’m not really sure! I would love to have a family someday.
Words to live by: ‘It is the example of each person’s life, much more than his or her words, that speaks with power. Even the smallest action done with a loving appreciation of life can profoundly touch other human beings.’
One goal before turning 30: Save the World! Since that one will be a little tough though, I want to compete in an Olympic-length triathlon.
One thing people don’t know about me: I absolutely love to bake and am making my sister’s wedding cake…my favorite Christmas present this year was an 11-pound block of Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate that my mother bought at a restaurant supply store! It’s more than halfway gone…
Integrity.
It’s only one word, but according to Dave Burton, that one word is just about all anyone needs to know about Madison Brunk.
“Integrity is the word that comes to mind when I think of Madi because it goes beyond what anyone can see,” Cheltenham’s varsity lacrosse coach said of his senior captain. “She’s rare, and that word gets thrown around sometimes, but she’s truly rare.
“She doesn’t allow anything to change her. She stays true to her values all the time. She’s one of those kids that comes along once in a lifetime, and she’s one of those players – I learn from having her. Madi being who she is teaches all of us things, coaches included. She’s just a great role model, a great example for all of us, and I just feel blessed to coach her.”
If Madison Brunk’s story began and ended right there - that would be more than enough to convey what a remarkable young lady she is, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for a student-athlete whose resume suggests that there is a way to do it all and do it all extraordinarily well.
Brunk is ranked number one in her senior class of 365 and boasts a GPA of 3.96 out of a possible 4.0. She is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist and scored a perfect 800 on the verbal portion of her SAT. Her writing (760) and math (740) scores were not far behind, giving her an impressive score of 2300.
And there’s more.
She is a four-year member of Cheltenham’s varsity swim and lacrosse teams and this year was a co-captain of both. She was named MVP of her swim team last winter and is a valuable member of this year’s lacrosse team.
Community service has a high priority in Brunk’s life, and she is deeply involved at her church. None of this, according to her coach, is to pad her resume.
“She’s mature beyond her years,” Burton said. “We see kids come here all the time as freshmen, and they’re innocent, they’re naïve, they’re fun, and as they go through high school, they experience different things, and you can see them all change, but she hasn’t changed.
“She just maintains this great sense of authenticity, and it never wavers. She’s just very unique, very special, and she’s maintained that.”
Brunk’s grueling college selection process also speaks volumes about her character.
She could have gone anywhere. As it was, she applied to eight schools – Alabama, York College, Grove City, Messiah, Drexel, Penn, Johns Hopkins and SUNY Binghamton – and was accepted at all eight.
“She got a package from the University of Alabama – they were begging her to come to school there,” Burton said. “They were going to do anything to get her there.”
Alabama, SUNY Binghamton and York were the first to be eliminated from Brunk’s list.
Johns Hopkins was removed because of the cost factor.
“I didn’t want to graduate with debt,” she said.
Grove City – which along with Messiah is a small Christian college - also was eliminated. Penn was the next to go.
“I would have loved to have gone there, but again, I didn’t want to graduate with debt,” Brunk said. “There’s way more to college than a name and strong academics.”
That left Drexel and Messiah with one week for Brunk to make her decision before the May 1 deadline.
“It was a nightmare,” she said. “It was honestly dreadful.”
Brunk spent Monday and Tuesday visiting Drexel one last time. Her visit confirmed that is where she wanted to spend her next four years.
On Wednesday, Brunk visited Messiah, and the Grantham, Pa., school moved to the top of her list.
That pattern continued the entire week with Brunk actually visiting both Messiah and Drexel one last time on Saturday.
Brunk describes Sunday – decision day – as one of the hardest days of her life.
“I loved both schools so much, and I felt as though no matter which one I chose, I was giving up something I really cared about,” she said. “There’s a bird sanctuary down the street from my house, and I’ve spent many, many hours there this week. There are houses right by it, and someone came out and asked, ‘Are you okay? Why are you always here?’”
Brunk was even discovered by the police in the park near her house after closing as she spent countless hours pondering her decision.
“I also talked to many, many people,” she said. “On Sunday, I spent many hours in the bird sanctuary, and I actually spent a lot of time reflecting about why I was going to school and why I wanted to be an engineer.
“I realized I don’t want to be an engineer so I can be the CEO of a company and make tons of money. I want to be an engineer so I can help other people and contribute to people who need help and need better products and need something I can offer them, so I can use my skills to love them and affirm them, not just to make a ton of money.”
And that is what helped tip the scales to Messiah.
“The really cool thing about Messiah that I absolutely love about their program is that their entire focus is on service,” Brunk said. “In the engineering program for their senior project, you’re not building a solar car. Instead, you’re going to contract with a hospital in Zambia and build what they need – a compressor or a wheel chair or something like that so you’re using your degree to help people instead of making something really, really cool.
“That’s fun, but what’s it doing? It’s not doing anything. I really, really loved that part.”
As hard it was to make the decision, it was even harder to own up to that decision the next day.
“I knew I had made the right choice, but then to be facing everyone who told me to go to Drexel and told me to go to Penn and told me to go to Hopkins and to say, ‘No, I chose Messiah,’” Brunk said. “I know I made the right choice, and I’m comfortable with it.
“College is an amazing experience, and it’s not just about the classroom. I want people to want me to work for them because I’ve earned it and I work hard and I’m good at what I do and not because I have Penn on my application.”
Brunk also liked the idea of competing in a varsity sport at Messiah where she will continue her lacrosse career.
“Madi played varsity all four years, but she says herself that she just learned to play this year,” Burton said. “It just clicked for her, and she’s one of our best players by far.”
The senior midfielder – who played for Ultimate Goal Lacrosse Club - takes most of the draws for the Lady Panthers, a position she’s worked hard to earn.
“What impressed me was her work ethic and her determination to be good,” Burton said. “I knew if she was given the opportunity she would take advantage of that.
“She established herself as a leader early on. She just has a presence. She coaches youth swimming, and she has her hands in so many different pots, but she manages to maintain her lifestyle and her schedule without losing anything.”
Brunk has been swimming competitively since she was five years old. Her favorite events are the 100 fly and the 200 IM, and she qualified for districts in each of her four years on the varsity at Cheltenham. She has invested hundreds of hours in her sport.
Some of her fondest memories are of the early morning practices and the dance parties on the car ride to practice with Pink’s ‘Raise Your Glass’ and its lyrics ‘5 a.m. turn the radio up’ blaring on the car radio.
“They played it literally every morning, and we honored the song how it’s meant to be honored, I’m sure,” Brunk said. “I absolutely love morning practice.
“I just love being with the other swimmers. Doing swimming in the morning wakes you up, and you’re ready for your day. It’s so rewarding to see your times drop and your teammates’ times drop.”
Lacrosse entered Brunk’s life much later, and she actually got her first taste when she ‘borrowed’ the sticks of her brother and his friends that were stashed in the garage when the team practiced at a park up the street from her house.
“I learned to play with a guy’s stick, and I’ve been playing ever since,” she said. “I really enjoy being part of a team.
“I love both sports. Swimming is very rewarding, but it’s also a lot more of an individual sport than lacrosse. Being part of a team and communicating, practicing together and working together as a team and as a unit is absolutely amazing. To be outside in the sunshine running around – it’s just so much fun.”
A nominee for the prestigious 2011 Dannehower Award, Brunk is a member of the National Honor Society and serves as a tutor. She has taken numerous AP classes as well as dual enrollment classes at Arcadia University and Manor College.
Despite her rigorous schedule, Brunk still finds time to volunteer. One Friday night a month – after preparing the meal the evening before – she travels with the youth group from her church to Logan Circle where they serve a group of homeless men and women.
“You will meet some of the most amazing people in the world there,” Brunk said.
Those who know Brunk best might use that word to describe her as well, but it’s much more than that.
“She’s special,” Burton said. “She’s just very unique, very special.
“She’s an exemplary student in every way. Those words get thrown around a lot, and you hate to use them because sometimes they lose their appeal, but it’s true for her. I really can’t say enough about Madi. Everyone loves her.”
