Butler graduate Olivia Bresnahan hopes a rigorous offseason training program will translate to additional playing time in her sophomore season with the Florida State Seminoles this year.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla — Olivia Bresnahan discovered quickly last winter that North Carolina State was nothing like North Hills.

She found out first hand that going to Chapel Hill to play the Tarheels didn't compare to going to Fox Chapel to play the Foxes.

Bresnahan, who will be a sophomore on the Florida State University women's basketball team this year, needed to get stronger and quicker. She needed to handle the ball better and shoot it better, too.

So the Butler graduate decided to camp out in Tallahassee this summer and take part in a grueling regime.

“In high school, you can get away with skinny arms,” Bresnahan said. “You can get away with stuff in high school that you just can't get away with at this level.”

Her summer of work has begun to pay off.

Bresnahan has added muscle to her 5-foot-11, lanky frame.

The four days per week she has spent in the weight room with the Florida State trainers has yielded those results.

“Oh, yeah, I can see it working,” Bresnahan said. “I told the trainer my shoulders are getting

way too

big.”Bresnahan is hoping her role gets way bigger, too.She wants to see the floor more than she did as a freshman guard when she averaged 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 11.5 minutes per game.Bresnahan said she had no expectations on how much she would play during her first season.“Honestly, I didn't think I was going to play that much,” Bresnahan said. “I got a taste of it and that has made me want more. It has made my hungry to be a bigger part of it.”Florida State was ranked in the Top 10 for most of the season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.To get herself on the court more, Bresnahan also has spent time working on her skills when she's not working on packing on the muscle.The skill sessions last an hour and “they are pretty intense,” Bresnahan said.“You come to such a high-level school and it's really an eye opener,” Bresnahan said. “You have to catch up with them. I'm trying to work hard on my shot, my foul shooting, my ball handling, my defense — everything. Just my overall game so I can get more minutes.”It helps that Bresnahan, who played point guard during her days at Butler, can play multiple positions.It also helps that she feels right at home about 1,000 miles away from Butler.Bresnahan said she never really feels homesick. While she does have a desire to come home from time to time, her teammates have made the transition easier.Even on her page on the Florida State website, the affection her teammates have for her can be found.“She's smart!” writes guard Tay'ler Mingo of Bresnahan. “Although, she falls and trips constantly, but she pops right up. Funniest thing I've seen!”“Our team ... is really special,” Bresnahan said, laughing “We have fun. We're close-knit. It's my family away from my family. You hear that a lot, but here it's the real thing.”