FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elliott Scott
Brinley Hutson Honored as Children’s Mercy Kansas City Rising Star Award Winner for the 2024 Women’s Sports Awards
KANSAS CITY, MO (January 3, 2024) – Brinley Hutson, an adaptive athlete from Olathe East High School, will receive the Children’s Mercy Kansas City Rising Star Award at the 2024 Women’s Sports Awards presented by Burns & McDonnell. The annual awards program is WIN for KC’s biggest fundraiser and the largest luncheon in the country celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
In 2021, Brinley Hutson suffered what seemed to be a routine leg injury during a soccer tournament, followed by hitting her leg in that same spot a week later in a softball tournament. Within weeks, the injury required 18 surgeries resulting in a life-saving leg amputation. The 14-year-old freshman from Olathe East High School used her sheer love for the sport of softball to power through rehab and to find the best prosthetic leg for getting back behind the plate. Six months after her amputation, Brinley was back on the softball field, and two months after that she was behind the plate catching again. Her story is one of hope and perseverance, highlighted this past fall when she hit her first career grand slam.
“After my surgery, I wasn’t just competing in softball for enjoyment or exercise,” says Hutson. “Sports played a huge role in my rehabilitation and now I want to inspire the next generation of athletes to find strength, resilience and joy in physical activity, regardless of the challenges they may face.”
The 2024 WIN for KC Women’s Sports Awards, which takes place in the historic Municipal Auditorium, kicks off by honoring local 2023 female high school state champions with their celebratory march across the stage. Then, throughout the luncheon, event attendees learn about the six honorees in the following categories: Children’s Mercy Kansas City Rising Star Award, Lockton Courage Award, Kissick Construction Game Changer Award, UMBFC Charitable Foundation Lifetime Sportswoman Award, Hallmark Cards Leadership Award and Forvis BE BOLD Award. Finally, the keynote speaker delivers an electrifying speech reflective of her challenges and triumphs in the world of sports.
“At a young age, Brinley has shown incredible fortitude and positivity as she navigated her injury, surgery and recovery,” says Andrea Kimball, Sporting KC Vice President and General Counsel, as well Chair for the WIN Advisory Board. “As our 2024 Children’s Mercy Kansas City Rising Star Award honoree, she displays impressive leadership traits and a goal-oriented mindset, inspiring her coaches, teammates and everyone who hears her story.”
The 2024 Women’s Sports Awards presented by Burns & McDonnell will be on Tuesday, January 30th. For more information, please click here.
About WIN for KC
The Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City (WIN for KC), was established in 1994 under the umbrella of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission, with the mission to ignite girls and women through advocating and promoting the lifetime value of sports and fitness, while providing opportunities for participation and leadership development. WIN is a volunteer, membership-driven organization that operates as a program of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation. For more information, visit WINforKC.org. For the latest on WIN for KC news, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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