It was an ordinary fall practice for Auburn softball.
The Tigers, coming off the best season in school history, knew they had the talent and experience to repeat their success and perhaps even surpass it. Auburn was returning many of its key players, including infielder Haley Fagan.
Fagan was a key contributor for the 2015 team that made the school's first Women's College World Series, as she started every game of the Tigers' 56-11 campaign. She had a .347 average with 58 runs, 69 hits, 56 RBI and 13 home runs.
The redshirt junior from Florida was as excited as anyone about the prospects for 2016. She had the opportunity to be one of the leaders of a national championship contender.
During that fateful practice, however, her excitement was dashed.
"We were running a play in practice, and when I turned a certain way to make a throw home, my cleat didn't give and my knee just popped out," Fagan said. "Coach (Clint Myers) ran up to me and asked if it was my ankle, and I yelled that it was my knee. I was so upset."
"I was really angry just because I knew exactly how it felt, since I did it to my right knee a few years earlier."
Fagan's worst fear was confirmed when she got the diagnosis: a torn ACL that would sideline her for an uncertain amount of time. She would have to have her second ACL surgery in several years.
"I was really down and kept asking, 'why me?', and I think a lot of athletes do that when they get injured," Fagan said. "I had to find a way out of that mindset and focus all my energy into my rehab instead of the negative thoughts."
Fagan was able to overcome those dark thoughts and push herself through recovery, although it was never easy, especially earlier in the process. While she's optimistic about her situation now, she was anything but in the beginning.
"The hardest part was coming off the best season of my life and having that adrenaline rush every game, to knowing I was just going to be sitting and not really a part of the team as much," Fagan said.
An advantage that Fagan had with this ACL recovery compared to her first, however, was experience.
"My past experience has definitely been helpful to me because I'm able to know how far I can push my knee and how much it can take," Fagan said.
It was difficult for her to come to terms with watching from the bench while her highly ranked team was in action, but once she did, the recovery process began going more smoothly than she could have anticipated. She had once feared that much of the season could be lost, but now she feels like she's close to returning relatively early in the season.
Fagan has been regularly participating in team activities for much of this season, and she said she feels close to being cleared to play. She credits this to Auburn's medical resources.
"Working with the trainers at Auburn and being able to progress as fast as I have has really been a blessing," Fagan said.
"I have another test for my knee coming up this week and I'll see the doctor again, so I'm hoping I can get cleared for at least hitting in games, but if not, I'll just have to keep working."
While her recovery was a hard process, her perseverance combined with Auburn's medical resources has made the process quicker than anyone expected. There isn't a specific timetable for her return, but one thing is for certain: it's going to be soon.
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