'My knee will never heal': Ashley softball's Makenna Carter plays through ruptured PCL

Ashley's Makenna Carter knows her knee will never fully heal, but she won't let that stop her dream of playing college softball.

Carter, who plays catcher for Ashley and has signed to play at Belmont Abbey, suffered a complete rupture of her PCL while playing travel softball last summer. The injury left her sidelined for weeks and with an eight-month recovery process.

During a Thursday game, the senior knew she tweaked something in her knee but wasn't overly concerned. The following day, she couldn't walk. By Saturday, she returned to the field, ultimately injuring the ligament even further.

"I hit a ball up the middle, took three steps out of the batter's box, and felt like a rubber band snapped," Carter said.

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The PCL is the knee's biggest ligament and attaches the back of the tibia to the back of the femur, maintaining alignment and controlling backward mobility of the lower leg. Unlike the ACL, the PCL can often heal on its own, and athletes frequently forgo surgery and opt for physical therapy.

However, the severity of Carter's injury made surgery a legitimate option. She decided against a procedure, however, as the recovery time would prevent her from playing her senior season and potentially end her collegiate career before it ever started.

"My knee will never heal for the rest of my life," she said. "Later down the line, I can go and have surgery on it, but right now, it's just gonna stay how it is."

Initially, doctors told Carter her knee might be sore and recommended rest. However, an MRI revealed that she had completely ruptured her PCL.

Now she had to contemplate her future, as she was without a college commitment.

"It was probably one of the scariest moments I've ever had in my life," she said. "I was really upset because all I could think was: You're not committed yet, so now you can't play, and you're just gonna run out of places to be."

Sending her film to any coach she could find, she knew her path to collegiate sports would be an uphill battle. The responses were nearly unanimous: Get back to us when you're healthy.

"It was hard to think about because they wanted me for what I was before, but what If I don't ever get back?" she said.

Luckily, Belmont Abbey coach Tony Mele believed Carter could return to form, and the senior committed just over a month after her injury.

"(Mele) was like, 'A lot of coaches aren't willing to take the risk, but I will,'" she said. "He really took a big jump of faith and trusted what I was going through."

Carter's recovery started slowly. After changing therapists and receiving advice from an orthopedic surgeon, she started using a knee brace and inched closer to action. She played her first game for the Screaming Eagles in March.

The senior has played in 12 of Ashley's 15 games this spring, batting .200 with three RBI. As a junior she batted .391 with 27 hits, six of them for extra bases.

Ashley coach Caroline Barnett, who named Carter team captain this season, says the senior has kept a positive attitude throughout her recovery.

"I think she handled it about as well as anybody I've ever seen," Barnett said. "She's a comedian on our team, the jokes she comes up with while still able to keep that top leadership role as the captain is great."

Now more than halfway through her senior season, Carter says the most significant thing she's learned from her injury and recovery process is the importance of appreciating the moment.

"My biggest thing is to not take anything for granted," she said. "It can all, in a matter of seconds, go away. I was at a peak in my career, and the next thing you know, I couldn't do anything. You really have to take every day second by second."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ashley softball's Makenna Carter returns after severe PCL injury