Mallory Mugnier, a senior here at Penn State Abington, and is about ready to finish her career and continue to conquer her next goal. I sat down with Mallory to find out what this season, seasons past, and life at Penn State Abington has been like.
 
Mallory isn't the traditional player here. Mallory found her home after trying out a few colleges. She was first at Shippensburg University, then Montgomery County Community College, and finally Penn State Abington. Mallory has been a multisport player, soccer and basketball, who was able to contribute to winning the championship for Women's basketball last season. She attributes the win to the squad, and the outstanding coaching staff. The coaching staff really pushed the team to get passed any mental blockage and kept up high spirits throughout the season, no matter what the outcome of each game was. Mallory says the team grew through the season and acknowledges the hard work that each player put into every practice, every drop of sweat, and every push through an injury. I asked Mallory what it was like to step onto the court after winning the NEAC championship and playing Oregon in the next round. "Nerve-wracking. We were all the way in Oregon. The crowd was crazy. We knew we were going against a really good team. The way they play basketball out there is completely different. The pace is so much faster. Everything about it was nerve-wracking. It was an amazing experience." Mallory will not be continuing her basketball career this year, not for lack of love but to focus on school and get ready for graduation.
 
 Some who have hung around the athletic building may have actually seen Mallory recovering from her own injury not all too long ago. My first year on the Women's Lacrosse team, I remember seeing Mallory constantly working on rehabbing her knee. It turns out Mallory wasn't coming back from just one tear but three. Mallory tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus her sophomore year.  Knowing immediately what she had done from experiencing a previously torn ACL, Mallory was obviously heart broken, but determined. She contacted her doctor and scheduled the surgery as soon as possible in hopes of getting back on the field for the next season. Not only did Mallory push to get her surgery as soon as possible, she made her family cancel their vacation to South Carolina so she could get surgery. On top of that Mallory made a sacrifice and had the surgery performed on Christmas Eve. If waking up on Christmas morning in the hospital instead of sunny South Carolina isn't true dedication, I'm not sure what is.
 
I remember watching Mallory repeatedly going up and down the steps in the Athletic building, teaching her knee the proper tracking and basic functions. Here we are a while later and she can do it all, an attitude that comes across this player with ease and grace. When I asked Mallory if she was worried about returning after the injury she said "the injury motivated me to get into surgery as soon as possible. I wanted to come back and I knew I had a nine month recovery at least." Now that Mallory is back, she is clearly a leader on the field. Soccer is Mallory's whole life and it's evident when she talks about it. Her eyes light up, even when we spoke about the injuries the team is facing right now. She doesn't let the injuries get the other teammates down. She draws from her own experience and continues to push her teammates to get proper treatment and return to the field as soon as possible.
           
Mallory has a great feeling about the season that is currently underway. She says the team has amazing chemistry. This team is a family to her, one she is so upset to have to leave after this year. But Mallory is on to bigger things. After obtaining her degree in Psychology this year she plans on taking up occupational therapy, a field that even after spending only ten minutes with Mallory is a clear perfect fit. She says she just wants to help people.
 
My final question to Mallory made her think, as I expected it to. I asked this polite, easygoing player what her favorite memory here at Penn State Abington was and she almost couldn't answer. She came up with the answer of "This is a hard one. I think it would be meeting all the people that I met. I met so many people here, on the basketball and soccer team. They aren't friends anymore they really are family to me. Just this whole atmosphere is truly family."  The Penn State Abington family will truly miss Mallory. After Mallory left a faculty member came up to me and said, "I'm going to miss that girl. Her smile really brightens up the place" and I couldn't agree more. Not only do we wish Mallory the best in her career as she finishes out her soccer season, but life; although I'm not worried, this is one tough chick. Good luck Mallory, everyone here at Penn State Abington is rooting for you on and off the field.
 
The Student Athlete Spotlight is written by students to showcase the stories and lives of Penn State Abington athletes. The Student Athlete Spotlight is a biweekly article that will focuses on one male and female athlete.