BUTLER TWP — There were times during the school year when Alyssa DiPippa was awake in the wee hours of the morning.

The three-sport star at Butler High School was usually up so late because she was putting the finishing touches on homework after a long volleyball match or basketball game or track meet.

Yet DiPippa was able to juggle her school work with her extra-curriculars.

“It wasn’t easy,” said DiPippa, who graduated with a 4.45 GPA earlier this month. “I’ve always played multiple sports and I have always loved it. But it was hard sometimes, especially when you’re trying to finish an English essay at 2 a.m. Yeah, sometimes I felt slightly crazy doing it all.”

DiPippa, who will attend Penn State University in the fall to study architecture, has earned numerous scholarships and academic awards.

One, though, holds a special place in her heart: DiPippa was the female recipient of the Northern Area Athletic Directors Association Tri-Athlete of the Year award.

“It was truly a blessing,” DiPippa said. “I was very honored to be chosen by my school and then by the (NADA). It’s great to know all my hard work in the classroom and in sports paid off.”

DiPippa was a three-year letter-winner and captain in all three sports during her athletic career at Butler.

In volleyball, DiPippa — despite standing just 5-foot-5 — was one of the team leaders in kills as an outside hitter.

In basketball, DiPippa averaged 10.3 points and five assists per game as a point guard.

And in track and field, DiPippa ran the 400, 800, all three relays, threw the javelin and did the long and triple jumps in her career.

Butler volleyball coach Dan Mountain said DiPippa was “an amazing kid” and couldn’t narrow down all that she meant to the Golden Tornado volleyball program in just a few sentences.

Butler girls basketball coach Dorothea Epps was always complimentary of her point guard.

“She’s really grown,” Epps said. “As a leadership role, she’s done a great job.”

DiPippa’s non-athletic resume is just as robust.

DiPippa has gone on four mission trips with her church, is a member of the National Honor Society and the Future Business Leaders of America.

And she’s built an underwater robot.

DiPippa and several of her classmates designed and constructed a robot that could move and operate while submerged for an advanced physics class at Butler.

“We started with a blueprint of the initial design and worked together to build it,” DiPippa said. “It was fun to work with a team to accomplish a goal.

“And,” DiPippa said, laughing, “the submarine pretty much worked for the most part.”

DiPippa has always had an eye for design and architecture has always captured her imagination.

“I always wanted to be involved in design,” DiPippa said. “I did a job shadow with an architect and I made my decision that I want to do that. Then I visited Penn State and fell in love with the architecture program there.”

DiPippa, though, said she will miss playing the three sports she loves at Penn State.

She said she will play in intramural leagues if she can.

“When you graduate, one door closes,” DiPippa said. “But another door opens.”

As she looks back on her high school career, she said she is happy she got to play such a big role in three sports.

“Again, I was blessed to be able to excel in all three sports,” DiPippa said. “I learned a lot about each sport and I learned a lot about mental toughness. To be honest, I didn’t look at the score in any of my games. I just wanted to play as hard and as well as I could while I was out there and play for my teammates.”