Ewing, NJ ... Things have always come easily to Leigh Mitchell (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) at Lions' Stadium. Whether she's toting a lacrosse or field hockey stick at The College of New Jersey, when Mitchell toes the turf her presence is synonymous with exceptional quickness and the ability to score. She has what coaches describe as "a nose for the goal."

Through her freshman and part of her sophomore seasons, Mitchell was busy penning chapters to a storybook career at TCNJ. She was the 2007 NJAC Rookie of the Year in field hockey racking up 16 goals and four assists and followed that up by being named to the NFHCA Division III All-America First Team with 19 goals in her sophomore campaign. During the spring of 2008, Mitchell took her scoring act to lacrosse and tallied 25 goals in her inaugural season.

If there was a mountain range overlooking the Ewing, NJ campus, Mitchell stood at its pinnacle point. Through the first six games of the 2009 lacrosse season, Mitchell was unstoppable scoring 22 goals while dishing out 10 assists. But during a routine practice drill at her favorite venue, she attempted a quick change of direction – a move she'd performed thousands of times as a field hockey, lacrosse, and high school basketball player. This time, however, it was a shift that altered the course of her career in an instant. Mitchell tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and suffered a slight tear in her meniscus. Her lacrosse and forthcoming field hockey season were over.

"We were in practice going over plays," recalled Mitchell. "I ran one way, went to pivot and turn, and my foot just stayed while my whole body turned. As soon as it happened I knew it was something bad that happened. I thought to myself, 'There goes my season.'"

The injury Mitchell sustained is one that is all-too-common in the world of sports. The acronym, ACL, is universal jargon amongst high school and college athletes due to the frequency of the injury. It is one of four main ligaments that is located inside the knee and runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). Its' function is to keep the tibia from sliding forward and stabilizes the knee when it twists. Sports that involve cutting (or changing direction) such as soccer, lacrosse, football, or field hockey place greater stress on the role of this ligament and most ACL injuries are non-contact related.

This is precisely what happened to Mitchell. And while she was experiencing physical pain down on the turf at Lions' Stadium, it was the emotional heartache she felt in connection with the teammate holding her hand that would be the initial hurdle to overcome. Her sister Kelly Mitchell was a senior defender, and after the two had garnered All-American honors during the fall field hockey season, it meant their days of playing together for TCNJ had suddenly come to an unceremonious conclusion.

"My heart dropped to the turf," explained head coach Sharon Pfluger. "I knew she was hurt because she never stays down when she falls. Her sister Kelly had such concern on her face as she held Leigh's hand. The three of us just sat on the turf as we waited to take her to the training room."

After the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) confirmed the injury, Mitchell was scheduled for surgery in May. The procedure was a success, but before the mathematics major could begin her physical rehabilitation, she had to confront the inevitable fact that her identity as an active, independent athlete was on temporary leave. She was now dependent on others for the most rudimentary tasks and the swagger that accompanied her walk would be replaced by crutches.

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2009-10-07