Ali Altman wore her Butler girls soccer jersey for two days after the season concluded.

“I didn't want to take it off for the last time,” Altman said. “It was emotional for me.”

More emotional moments were to follow.

After the last basketball game, Altman wore that jersey for a couple of days, too.

Same thing in track and field.

Such is the flip side of playing three sports — three times the sadness when the seasons end.

But Altman, a senior, wouldn't change a thing. Being a three-sport star at a large school like Butler was important to her, even when the responsibilities were at times crushing.

“There were always those doubts,” Altman said. “Can I handle all of this? And my parents would sometimes say, 'You know, this is a big stress on you, so maybe you should just pick your two favorites.'”

Altman pondered that plan, but ultimately giving up a sport was tantamount to cutting off a limb.

She just couldn't do it.

“I wanted to stick it out even though it wasn't always easy,” she said. “Playing for Butler, playing for your high school, was such a big honor for me. In the end, it was worth it.”

In the end, Altman was recognized for playing three sports as she was named one of the Northern Athletic Directors' Association Tri-Athlete Award recipients recently at a banquet in Wexford.

The recognition is given to senior athletes who play three or more sports — and play them well.

“I'm definitely very honored,” Altman said. “It's very rewarding.”

Just playing three sports is a rarity in the age of specialization at the high school level.

It's even more uncommon at a school the size of Butler.

Golden Tornado soccer coach Steve Perri has been coaching for 14 years — 10 at Butler — and he said Altman was the first three-sport athlete he has ever had.

“Honestly, I don't think I'll ever see it again,” Perri said. “She's a rarity, one that I've never seen and one that I'll never forget.”

Altman played center-back for the Butler soccer team, forward for the Golden Tornado basketball team and was a jumper on the school's track and field team.

Not only was Altman a key contributor on all three teams, she was also a leader for all three.

“She was a great role model,” Perri said.

That, too, wasn't always easy for Altman.

“You know, it's a big task to be a senior on these teams and try to lead them,” Altman said. “All of my coaches encouraged me to be a leader and taught me life lessons that were really important.”

One life lesson Altman learned was how to manage her time.

She didn't have much of a choice.

“I'm going to school all day and then go straight to practice,” Altman said. “And then I'm probably going to another practice if I have club sports. I still have to come home and do homework. So, it was definitely hard to manage my time and make sure I made good use of study halls in school.”

Altman also had a job at a discount department store in Butler.

“She played three sports and also held down a job. That's not easy to do,” said Butler girls basketball coach Mark Maier. “There were times she'd come to practice dressed in jeans and (her work shirt). That's multitasking.”

Maier also said Altman may have had arguably one of the best seasons of any senior in the WPIAL.

The Butler girls soccer team reached the district final and lost in overtime; the girls basketball team advanced to the second round of the playoffs; and the girls track and field team won its fourth-straight team title.

“I'm extremely proud, especially this year,” Altman said. “Winning the WPIAL for track for the fourth year in a row, making it as far as we did in soccer and basketball, it was definitely a historic year for me. I was really grateful for how well it turned out. I couldn't honestly imagine a better senior year.”