FREEPORT — Sandy (Brestensky) Mitchell didn't have a lot of time for shenanigans.

The 1987 Freeport graduate had a full schedule between school, sports and working at the family business, Brestensky's Meat Market.

“We were either in school or working or playing sports,” Mitchell said. “There was no time to get in trouble. I was really focused on my school work and athletics was my release.”

Mitchell was quite good at all three sports she played at Freeport: volleyball, basketball and softball.

In the classroom, she was equally accomplished, sporting a 4.54 grade point average and receiving the KDKA Extra Effort Award as a senior.

Mitchell can add one more honor: a spot in the Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame.

“I don't want to brag,” Mitchell said, her voice trailing off. “I was a pretty good athlete.”

Basketball carried her to the next level at St. Vincent College. Two years into her schooling, she also played volleyball at the college.

“I like any sports,” Mitchell said. “But I got a scholarship from St. Vincent to play basketball. I also played volleyball for two years and they wanted me to play softball, too, but I wanted to have a little bit of fun in college.”

Mitchell is also a member of the St. Vincent athletic hall of fame.

Mitchell and her best friend, Tammy Thompson, formed a formidable 1-2 punch while at Freeport.

They helped the Yellowjackets to a 16-6 record during their senior seasons.

Injuries torpedoed Freeport in the playoffs, however.

“We had a great team,” Mitchell said of that 1986-87 team coached by Tom Saulle.

Mitchell also had the chance to play with her two younger sisters, Jill and Lisa, that season.

“It was very nice,” Mitchell said. “My family could watch all three of us play at the same time.”

Mitchell didn't start to play basketball until her freshman year.

Before she went to Freeport, Mitchell went to private Catholic schools that didn't offer the sport as an option for girls.

Mitchell, who is now a volunteer assistant coach for the Freeport girls basketball team, is glad that has changed.

“These girls today have so many more opportunities to play,” she said. “I can't imagine starting in the first grade and playing all the way up through. My career actually started in the ninth grade and my coaches gave me a lot of encouragement. I imagine I was pretty rough.”

Mitchell now works as an ICU nurse at Allegheny General Hospital.

With the coronavirus pandemic raging, Mitchell said she is “on the front lines.”

“I go to work knowing it's my job and I'm thankful to be working with so many people out of work,” Mitchell said. “But at the same time, I have to protect myself the best I can with the resources the hospital provides so I don't bring it home to my family.”

Mitchell's husband is in a high-risk age-group. Her daughter, Madison, is 21 and son, Matthew, is 18 and a senior at Freeport and a baseball player for the Yellowjackets.

“I don't know how we are going to flatten the curve,” Mitchell said. “I know it's going to go beyond baseball season. I'm tearful for my son.”

The Armstong Hall of Fame ceremony, which was scheduled for April 26 at Laube Hall in Freeport, has been canceled.

Bill Dillen, president of the Armstrong Hall of Fame, said this year's class will be honored along with the 2021 inductees next spring.