Russell back strong for Our Lady of Mercy
Heather Russell, who plays lacrosse for Our Lady of Mercy, in an undated, handout photo.
Heather Russell was having what, at the time, was the game of her life. The Our Lady of Mercy defender-turned-midfielder scored four quick goals against rival Sacred Heart and was readying to fire for a fifth.
Then she heard the infamous and ominous "pop."
"I was laying on the ground with my eyes closed," Russell recalled. She's now a senior star for the Mustangs. "I was so angry, so scared and I was thinking the worst."
Russell had just torn the ACL, MCL and meniscus in her right knee, in the first half of what was shaping up as a career day for the then-sophomore. "My cleat got caught in the dirt," she said. "With the torque from the turn for the shot, I ripped all the ligaments."
There went a breakout season, as well as a promising summer with her Yellow Jackets travel team, which was being followed by college coaches.
"She had time on her side because she was so young," OLMA coach Tara Kuhn said, "but it was a huge disappointment because she was just breaking through."
The pain teamed with frustration to make summer 2009 a miserable one, Russell said. Then there was the surgery and a grueling recovery that included training six days a week.
"But I'm thankful for all of it," she said. "It taught me to appreciate everything and go all-out because no matter how good you get, just like that, you can be back to square one . . . I told myself if I ever got back to lacrosse, I'd never stop."
Russell rushed her rehab (something she now admits "wasn't the smartest thing to do") and began running four months after surgery, "when the doctor said I should walk," and often refused to wear the knee brace.
"My parents wanted to kill me," she said with a laugh, "but it was killing me that I wasn't out there. I didn't want to be afraid of playing again."
She was able to return for her junior season and played well, Kuhn said. "She kept up the physical therapy, worked with a trainer and came back as strong as she was before the injury. She played through any sort of pain she had."
This year, though, Russell said she feels "like I'm really back." And it's shown, to the tune of 35 goals. She's had several big games, including a nine-goal eruption and four other games in which she has tallied at least five. She made the Long Island Schoolgirls team last summer, which competes nationally, and committed to C.W. Post.
Our Lady of Mercy's season hasn't gone as planned (it is 4-6), but it is in position for a playoff berth, which has the team buoyed, Kuhn said.
"It's been a tough road, but I like it," Russell said. "This year has been rewarding."
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