Ella Hogan’s foot twisted the wrong way. A player on Penn State then stepped on it. Her foot went sideways. And so did the start of her college career as her freshman season was in jeopardy.

As the 26th ranked recruit in the country, Hogan was projected as a starter. But after tearing her ACL and meniscus during a fall ball tournament at Penn State, she was forced to redshirt in 2015.

Now a redshirt freshman, Hogan has played in every one of No. 3 Syracuse’s (6-1) seven games this season. The defender pushed back her surgery last year and has fully recovered from her first serious injury. She adds an extra layer to the Orange’s defense and put her injury in the rearview mirror.

Hogan waited two months after her initial injury to have surgery in order to be home for recovery, where she felt more comfortable. Being on crutches for seven weeks would be more manageable there than trudging around campus.

“I was scared because I’d never gone under before,” Hogan said. “I heard it was really painful.”

Prior to the injury, Hogan felt invincible. After the injury, she realized she wasn’t.

She wavered between days where she was more down than others, especially toward the beginning of her recovery, when the pain was unbearable. Once she started to see actual strides, she could visualize a return.

The balance between physical therapy, school and being at practice was a lot to handle. Her PT tended to be during practice, which helped time-wise, but she still liked to be there to learn. She frequented film sessions so she could keep up as a student of the game.

On the field in games for SU for the first time, Hogan has gotten back to where she was before her injury. She still has a knack to check offensive players’ sticks, cause turnovers and knock down passes.

“(Hogan) gives us much more depth on defense,” SU head coach Gary Gait said. “You’re going to see her get even better as the season goes on. It’s huge to have a player of her caliber back.”

In October, Hogan was cleared to play again. Shortly after, Syracuse returned to Penn State.

“I was there, I was ready, and I was back,” Hogan said. “Once I was able to play in my first college game, I felt awesome. It was a long time coming.”

Hogan walked out to the spot where she tore her ACL and meniscus, and she said to herself, “I conquered it.”

Published on March 12, 2016 at 12:07 am

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