Morgan Widner dominated at the draw control as a freshman two seasons ago, winning more than half of her chances and ranking seventh in the nation in draw controls per game. Coming into her sophomore campaign, she was expected to do the same. But she was on the sidelines.

Against Albany in SU’s third game of the season, Widner tore her ACL fighting for a draw. She sat on the ground, holding her knee in the middle of the field, and didn’t play another game for the rest of the season.

After recovering from a tear in her right knee, Widner is back but taking limited draw controls, splitting time mostly with Emily Hawryschuk, Julie Cross and Braelie Kempney. She’s third on the team in draw controls, having won eight so far this season. In total, No. 4 Syracuse (4-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) is averaging 13.4 draws per game, tied for 36th in the nation. As she transitions back into her old role, SU head coach Gary Gait wants to slow her process.

“It’s nice to have her back,” Gait said. “She’s taken the time and worked on her stick work and her skill level, and I think that’s improved.”

Widner tore her ACL on Feb. 22, 2018, as Syracuse was up 9-2 in the first half when Widner fell and was eventually helped off the field. Once the swelling went down, Widner went into surgery and almost immediately after, started rehab for next season. She spent the summer in her home state of Texas where she re-built the strength of her knee and its range of motion.

While going through rehab, Widner looked toward John 13:7 in the Bible to help her through her rebuild. It reads: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Now, she writes it on her wrist every day and repeats it to herself as her mantra while she plays.

The Orange went 9-10 when she didn’t play the majority of last season, their first losing season in program history. When Widner came back from winter break, before the 2019 season started, she was cleared to play.

“It was honestly an experience that was awful in the moment,” Widner said, “but there were so many learning opportunities and just being able to build lacrosse IQ and playing now is so much fun.”

Widner has played limited draws in Syracuse’s first five games, splitting time in a rotation of five players. Against Coastal Carolina on Feb. 18, Widner won three straight draws at one point, jumping and snatching them out of the air. A game later, against then-No. 5 Northwestern, Widner recorded zero draws. She’s been a go-to option at times. Others, she’s been forgotten.

Since returning from her injury, Widner has added a knee brace during games. Its large size makes her feel “safe and secure,” especially because it’s common for draw control specialists to get hit a lot and end up on the ground. It’s about 10 pounds, Widner said, and makes her feel like a “bionic woman” when she wears it.

The weight of the brace was something Widner had to get used to at first. It was more weight affecting her jumping and cutting in games. She worked with Associate Athletic Trainer Kathleen Chaney to get quicker by doing exercises like ladders. Now, the brace doesn’t feel as much of a hindrance.

Widner was able to use her time away from the game to work on skills she’s been trying to improve since freshman year. Gait cited going after ground balls and balls in the air as well as limiting turnovers as things Widner improved in her almost year off the field.

For Widner, the injury has helped her find enjoyment in even the roughest parts of women’s lacrosse.

“Sometimes you’ve got to get broken down to find out who you are,” Widner said.

Published on February 25, 2019 at 10:39 pm

Contact Kaci: klwasile@syr.edu