library 10 injury feature breheny html
Dr. Amanda Visek, GW Assistant Professor of Sport & Exercise Psychology, discusses how athletes can better cope with injuries.
MIA BREHENY - LACROSSE
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Mia Breheny's athletic career was affected by injury even before she committed to play women's lacrosse at GW.
She had totaled nearly 100 goals by the end of her freshman and sophomore seasons at Bishop Ireton High School in nearby Alexandria, Va., and was a highly-regarded recruit in the women's lacrosse hotbed of Maryland and northern Virginia.
Then as a junior in 2005, Ms. Breheny tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
"I was dropped by everyone who recruited me before my injury," said Ms. Breheny. "[Then GW head coach] Chrissy Lombard contacted me and offered me an official [visit], and I decided to take it. After staying for a night, I knew GW was the school for me."
"The goal returning from each injury is to be stronger physically, mentally and emotionally," said Ms. Breheny, who did just that following her injury-shortened junior season. She battled back to lead the Cardinals with 83 goals and 23 assists and earn honorable mention All-America accolades from U.S. Lacrosse and All-Met honors from The Washington Post as a senior in 2006.
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Ms. Breheny then set out "to make an immediate impact at a growing program like GW," in her rookie season. Despite an accomplished scholastic career, she had a difficult time making that early splash.
Anchored by a veteran lineup, the Colonials enjoyed their best season to date in 2007, winning a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title and reaching the league championship game, both firsts for a program that played its first varsity competition just five years earlier in 2002.
Enter current Colonials' head coach Tara Hannaford, who took over the program after Lombard resigned following the 2007 campaign. The new coach made Ms. Breheny a focal point of the offense and the 5-foot-4 attacker responded with a team-leading 34 goals in 2008 and 14 goals after eight games of the 2009 regular season.
However, it was early in that eighth game - March 14 at Mount Vernon Field against 18th-ranked Towson - that Ms. Breheny suffered another knee injury. Not immediately clear as to the extent, she returned in the second half. After just five minutes, though, a distraught Ms. Breheny substituted out and feared the worst.
"When I went back in the game in the second half and couldn't run, I knew something wasn't right," said Ms. Breheny. "My first instinct was that I tore my ACL, I know how it feels when you do it."
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Initial tests revealed a meniscus tear, which she painfully played through for the remainder of the season. However, post-season surgery in May uncovered more damage - another torn ACL - and she underwent a third operation just over two months later.
Nearly a year after that third surgery, Ms. Breheny is still in the midst of grueling three-day-per-week rehabilitation sessions to prepare for her postponed "senior" season in 2011.
"I can't wait to start playing," said Ms. Breheny. "I've been given a do-over out of a bad situation and want to finish out strong by helping GW win its first A-10 Championship."
She completed her bachelor's degree in sport, event and hospitality management in May and is currently interning as an event manager at Kaiser Permanente's Community Benefit department in Rockville, Md. She anticipates completing her graduate studies in event management next spring.
"I think everything happened for a reason. It puts everything in perspective, and you appreciate having the ability to play that much more."