Emily Orsini, Sports Editor–


“It happened during a non-contact drill, one I had done probably a million times,” said Wynne Hague, a senior goalkeeper on the Denison women’s soccer team. “I was diving to my left and then getting up for an extension dive on my right. The ball was hit behind me, so I tried to slow myself down, and that’s when it popped.”

Injury is an unfortunate potential consequence of being involved in athletics. The conditioning, mobility training, and coordination drills can only help so much— it just takes one false movement to end a season. 

Hague fell victim to this harsh reality in 2023, where she tore her ACL during the team’s first practice after preseason.

“I felt it, I heard it, and then I was lying on the ground. They did the famous anterior drawer test for the ACL on me and that’s how I knew. I didn’t experience any pain when it happened, which was interesting because most people experience a lot of pain. It was a very weird sensation— one that I never want to experience ever again,” said Hague.

The recovery process for an ACL tear can take between nine and 12 months for an athlete to fully recover. Hague’s experience with recovery is especially unique, with her studying abroad in London during most of her physical therapy and strength training.

“The ACL recovery process can be split into three phases, with phase one being the first three months, focusing on regaining motion and getting back to walking, then building up to running,” said Hague. 

“Phase two, the next three months, is all about strength building. I was abroad during this phase, in London, where I had a physiotherapist. It was a cool experience in itself. I spent that time weightlifting and regaining strength, particularly in my quadriceps, which have a significant deficit after surgery.” 

Before leaving for London, in the spring, Hague had to grapple with the stress from classes, physical therapy, and getting from place to place on campus.

“Being on Denison’s campus [injured] was tough. It was helpful that [Campus Safety] could drive me around, but once I got to places like A-Quad, they didn’t have a system to help me get from building to building,” said Hague. “Getting to the dining halls from my dorm was difficult too. The first few weeks were really hard because getting around on crutches was miserable, and I was in so much pain.”

Struggles like these can take a toll on someone both physically and mentally, especially while watching practices and games from the sidelines. However, Hague was able to find ways to keep herself distracted from these external struggles by immersing herself in other interests outside of athletics, including Ladies Night Out. 

“Here on campus, I’m in an acapella group, so I filled my time focusing on singing as much as I could. It was hard some days, but that was one of my biggest distractions because I’ve sang my whole life,” said Hague. 

Hague had teammates who cared for and gave her motivation to continue her recovery process.

“There are so many ACL injuries every year [in soccer]; it’s awful. Everyone really supports each other,” said Hague. “I leaned on one of my best friends [on the team], [Eliza Roach ‘25], who tore her ACL the year before. Seeing her back on the field [after recovery] showed me it was possible to get back out there.”

When asked about her first competition back from her injury, a smile crept onto Hague’s face. 

“The first game back was crazy. It felt surreal, like a year had passed, and I was back doing what I love. It was such a long time coming. You get to the point after so many months where you wonder if it will ever end.”

Hague returned to play this season for the Big Red. She has recorded 495 minutes on the field, with a save percentage of 73.7% and a record of 5-2-1. Hague had a season high of six saves in a 2-1 conference victory over Wittenberg on Oct. 5. 

The Big Red, who are 7-3-2 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC will be host to conference opponents DePauw on Oct. 16 and Wooster on Oct. 19.

Photo: Wynne Hague ’25 holds the ball during a game against Kalamazoo. Photo courtesy of Wynne Hague.