As a child, Brittni Hutton remembers cleaning the house with her siblings, blaring the radio and sliding across the freshly mopped floor in socks. It was work, but she made it fun.

Hutton, a student-athlete running in cross-country and the president of Student Video Productions, applies the same principle to her busy life.

“I try to twist my stress and make it fun for myself,” Hutton said. “It’s a child-like thing, but it works for me. Fun is healthy.”

On the track

As a senior, Hutton has earned many accomplishments on the cross-country team. Most recently, she was named the Oakland University Student-Athlete of the Week after starting the cross-country season with two victories at the IPFW Invitational and helping OU reach No. 15 in the Great Lakes Regional rankings. She has been selected twice for the All-Summit League first team in her athletic career. Last year, Hutton placed second at the Golden Grizzly Open and fourth at the Summit League Championships. Hutton has also earned Academic All-Summit League honors for the last two years.

Hutton believes teammates should challenge each other to keep the group strong.

“I believe healthy competition is excellent for any team. You’ve got to have it, but it’s got to be respectful. If it is jealousy, the team’s going to crumble,” she said.

According to Hutton, the highlight of her career was not a personal victory, but rather a team’s victory at the 2010 Summit League Championships.

“I’ll never forget helping my teammate, Sara Lieblein, in the last 100 meters of the race stride ahead of me while I kept the runner from Southern Utah from pulling ahead,” Hutton said.

Lieblein went on to win the race.

“Sara was a senior and I knew she could do it, I knew she deserved it,” Hutton said. “I’ll never forget the look on her face when I turned around after crossing the finish line. That moment, you can’t even describe it.”

Hutton hopes to start training for the Olympics next year, and has high hopes for the remainder of the cross-country season.

“I want to win a championship,” she said. “I want to leave a legacy — an ultimate goal is to leave something for the team to go after.”

Behind the scenes 

In addition to her involvement with the cross country team, Hutton is president of Student Video Productions. As a communication major with a minor in cinematography, Hutton’s career aspirations include producing and directing films.

“I didn’t think film was going to be my career, but I loved it,” Hutton said. “I will be famous one day … you’re going to see Hutton Productions. I believe in myself and I’m going to get there. I want to be able to support my family and give them back everything that they’ve given to me.”

She got involved with SVP after taking several communication classes with Professor Heather Haughey, who is also an adviser for the club and a producer for the university’s video services.

“She’s one of the rare students who doesn’t coast through classes,” Haughey said.

Hutton has co-produced SVP’s Visiting Professional Series with the group’s Vice President Robert Paulson, with whom she went to high school with.

“He’s been a huge help in my life,” she said. “He helps me keep my head above water. He is an amazing man and one of my best friends.”

Hutton and Paulson have coordinated lectures by voice actor Rob Paulsen, director Michael Moore and casting directors Kathy Mooney and Dan Valez.

“She’s a go-getter. Brittni’s very ambitious and passionate about what she does, whether it’s class, SVP, or cross country,” Haughey said.

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Contact Senior Reporter Katie Williams via email at [email protected]