Returning from an injury is tough enough, especially for a student athlete. So when senior lacrosse midfielder Jon McMahan suffered his second anterior cruciate ligament tear in as many years, enough was enough.
“The timing was just awful,” McMahan said. “I was captain that year with my brother and ended up playing a couple games with a torn ACL with a knee brace on it. … I couldn’t do much.”
McMahan, now a fifth-year senior, tore his right ACL in the final game of his freshman year, forcing him into a six-month rehabilitation regimen throughout the course of his sophomore year, before tearing his left ACL just weeks into his junior year.
“It was pretty gnarly to the point where everybody heard it crack,” McMahan said, referring to his first injury.
McMahan’s love for lacrosse drives his recovery
So now a healthy McMahan is back for his final year and enjoying the team’s camaraderie that he says is what drove him to persevere through his setbacks.
“Honestly, I love lacrosse so much,” he said. “I like the community. It’s a brotherhood to the point where everyone is a friend. I don’t feel excluded if I’m not playing lacrosse, but playing just allows me to interact with them differently.”
His love for the game stems from an early discovery, courtesy of his older brother Billy McMahan, who played lacrosse and graduated from Biola in 2010. His East Coast upbringing also made it a relatively easy sport to dive into.
“Every high school has it. It’s just like your typical soccer team,” said McMahan, who spent the first 18 years of his life in Nyack, N.Y. “My brother started playing [lacrosse] and so I got to see it and then I kind of transitioned into it from there and started playing.”
McMahan spent his second rehab stint as an assistant coach for the squad, and though he hasn’t been deemed a captain this year, he says his leadership role was strengthened in the process.
“My coach asked me if I wanted to be an assistant coach just because I have that knowledge from high school and everything, so I agreed,” McMahan said. “I love it, though. I can help guys on the side if they need it and I can still be a leader.”
Lacrosse looks confident following two solid wins
Entering the season, the team is full of poise and experience, and their recent play is evidence of such a confidence. Defeating unbeaten Occidental College handily 16-3 on Sunday, March 4 the squad moved on to face Regis University on Tuesday, winning big once again, 17-6. The team will now shift its focus to Saturday’s home matchup against University of California San Diego, a team currently tied with Biola atop the Southwest Lacrosse Conference Division II standings.
“Our goal right now is to go undefeated in our conference and get the number one seed for playoffs,” McMahan said.
Underclassmen comprise nearly half of the team, but the team plays above its experience level.
“Last year was a rebuilding year where we had new guys coming in who had never played before,” McMahan said. “But then this year those new guys have progressed and are good enough to where they can step up and take control of the team themselves. We have a lot of potential.”
