As a rising freshman, Chandler Butler knew she would be playing sports at Watauga High. Which ones she would participate in was still somewhat in doubt.

Four years later, Butler settled on volleyball, basketball and softball. She earned letters in basketball and softball for four years and three letters in volleyball, giving her 11 varsity overall.

Even with her credentials, which includes being named the Northwestern 4-A Conference’s Player of the Year in volleyball in her junior and senior years, Butler admitted she was surprised to learn she had won the Hall of Fame Award, which is given to the top female athlete of the year by the Watauga athletic department.

“I thought I might be a nominee because I had played sports,” Butler said. “But I thought somebody like Taylor Cook was going to win it because she’s going to play college sports. I wasn’t expecting to be able to get it, so I was really surprised.”

After three years of playing three sports, and a freshman year of playing basketball and softball, Butler has decided to take a break from the playing fields and instead, be a full time student at UNC Greensboro this fall. She said should she get the itch to return, she can either try out for the Spartans’ volleyball team in August or January, or play intramurals or club sports.

In the meantime, Butler will concentrate on her major of elementary education and be a regular student.

“I can always play club or intramurals,” Butler said. “Right now, I’m happy just hanging out for a while.”

It’s a well-deserved break. Butler played sports while in middle school, including soccer. She thought about playing soccer her freshman year, but instead waited and played basketball softball, two sports she ended up on the varsity at the end of their respective seasons.

Butler gave volleyball a try her sophomore year after attending some matches and eventually settled in as the team’s setter. In her junior and senior seasons, she was named Watauga’s team captain and was named the NWC’s Player of the Year in leading Watauga to the third round of the playoffs both seasons.

“I played volleyball in middle school, but it was not my favorite,” Butler said. “I thought I would play soccer because I played it in middle school. I started playing softball and enjoyed it, but I never thought I would be playing three sports. It was the best choice I ever made. It kept me on the right path and I got my schoolwork done. I also had a lot of fun doing it.”

It was at the end of her senior year that Butler said ended up being a highlight of her prep career, even though it ended in a loss to Myers Park in the third round of the playoffs.

“We got such great support that game,” Butler said. “I know that we lost, but it was fun playing in front of that many people. The crowd was as big as it is for boys basketball.”

Butler got her first taste of varsity athletics when she was called up from the jayvee basketball program her freshman year and put into the starting lineup at point guard, a position she held her entire four years at Watauga. She led the team in assist-to-turnover ration her final two seasons and helped the Pioneers win 11 games each of those seasons.

It was on to softball, where she played second base her freshman year, but was catching by her sophomore season. She was a three-time All-NWC selection three times and had a career batting average of over .300.