Kalsey suffers season-ending injury
Marissa Kalsey had already secured first place in the pole vault in her opening outdoor meet last Saturday at the Juniata Invitational.
The Westminster College senior, fresh off a third-place finish in the NCAA Division III indoor championships the previous week, was the only vaulter remaining when the bar was pushed to 4.05 meters (13-4). She failed on her first two attempts and took one last run at the height.
“I hit a little short and came straight back down where the box collar is. I turned over and hit the bar with my shins and came straight down instead of on my back,” explained the Waynesburg Central graduate.
“My heel rotated to my toe,” said Kalsey of the landing. “I knew when I did it, I knew something was wrong. I said to the trainer, ‘I’m so mad.'”
Kalsey was hoping for the best of a bad situation, saying, “I hoped it was a bad sprain.”
The awkward landing injured the talus bone, causing a break. The talus bone is in the ankle joint and helps form a connection between the leg and foot, allowing a person to walk without losing balance.
In addition, the talus aids in the movements of the ankle and the foot.
Kalsey underwent surgery to repair the damage and will have to patiently wait until she’s allowed to begin rehabilitation of the injury in the fall.
She has had to deal with injuries in her past, notably a quad muscle tear, but nothing like this.
“I tore my quad muscle in high school. It’s an on-going thing, but Bradi (Westminster vault coach Bradi Rhoades) and I figured out how to keep it under control,” said Kalsey.
Kalsey is a four-time indoor All-America and a three-time outdoor honoree.
“It’s hard. There’s nothing I can do. It’s not the way I wanted to end my senior year,” explained Kalsey.
Kalsey does have options, though. A medical redshirt would allow one more outdoor season, should she decide to return to school.
“I will consider it. That did make me feel a little better, considering a red shirt year,” said Kalsey. “I planned to keep vaulting after college.”
Kalsey was named the PAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for winning the invitational. Her winning vault is currently the top mark in Division III in the early outdoor season.