Sammy Jo Tracy reached the pinnacle of her sport two seasons ago. The then freshman was thrown into the 2013 women’s lacrosse national championship game, and proceeded to score the most iconic goal in the history of the Tar Heel program, a low bouncing effort that darted passed the Maryland keeper, securing UNC’s first and only national title.
As the Bedford, N.Y. native was mobbed by her teammates, Tracy’s present was glorious, and her future seemed limitless.
Fast forward to Friday, Oct. 3rd, 2014. Tracy is sitting on the sidelines as she watches her team tear apart Winthrop University by an unofficial score of 29-6 in a fall scrimmage game. The sidelines have become an all too familiar location for the now junior, who, due to a nagging foot injury, has yet to play another competitive game since that victorious championship night.
“My freshman year, I injured it,” Tracy said. “And then the surgery didn’t go as well as we wanted it to, so we had to get a second surgery in the spring, and that didn’t go as planned again.”
Few things have gone as planned for Tracy over the past 17 months as the midfielder/forward has suffered several setbacks on her road to recovery, but she sounded optimistic about returning at 100 percent by the time the season rolls around this spring.
“My bone looks really good,” she said. “Right now I’m not trying to speed into anything because apparently I came back too quick and I injured myself a little this fall. So whenever my body feels ready I’m going to take it slow. But I’ll be ready for the season. That’s a guarantee.”
The Tar Heels will undoubtedly enter the 2014-15 season ranked highly with coach Jenny Levy’s squad returning nine starters and eight of its top ten goal scorers from last season’s team that reached the NCAA quarterfinals and was ranked No. 1 in the country for a majority of the season.
But Levy believes the return of Tracy could be an X-factor for her team as she will bring a wealth of experience from the joys of freshman year, and a load of determination in the wake of her lost sophomore season.
“Sammy Jo, she’s such a great spirit,” Levy said. “And we really hope that she gets back this season. She’s just super talented and loves the sport, and is very passionate. She’s one of those teammates that you just love to play with.”
