Nine Months ago, a leader on the Stevenson men’s lacrosse team suffered one of the worst injuries an athlete can have.
“This will be the most painful experience of your life,” Andrew Searing, senior men’s lacrosse player, heard his surgeon tell him days after his surgery.
Searing had just undergone ACL surgery, one of the most prolific sports injuries in the world. In many ways, tearing an ACL is the boogeyman of sports — it is a frightening thing to see, and it can take away your athletic heartbeat with one wrong step.
At the end of the 2023 season, just weeks before the Mustangs were planning on heading to the postseason, Searing fell to the turf in the middle of a game.
“Cody was performing tests on my knee and I could see his eyes, he looked at coach, and he just walked away,” Searing said. “It hit me when standing on the sidelines, and I tried to put pressure on it, I couldn’t.”
Searing missed the remainder of the season. It crushed him mentally having to watch from the sidelines. After surgery in early May, there were already doubts floating around as to whether he was going to hang the cleats up or not. Those doubts were quickly put to rest.
Despite high spirits, Searing still had a long journey ahead full of gruesome pain, lonely summer nights, and a nine-month recovery process.
“My entire summer was spent on rehab,” Searing said.
Mentally, he stayed in check throughout the process by keeping things simple.
“I would set three small goals a week, and work hard to achieve them. Setting big goals is unrealistic and hard to accomplish,” Searing said.
The Stevenson senior had outside motivation as well, explaining how he would listen to motivational speakers such as David Goggins to get him through his workouts.
There’s an axiom that athletes often repeat to themselves: “All men are created equal. Some work harder in the preseason.”
That was one of his favorite lines that motivated him the furthest. Searing had to work harder than everyone else, and then some, just to get back to where he was before the injury.
Fast forward to present day, men’s lacrosse kicks off the season in two weeks and Searing has not missed a beat. He is back to full strength and will be in the starting lineup for the Mustang’s first game on Feb. 17 versus Muhlenberg College. Searing is excited about the season with many returning starters on the defense, as well as a fresh new lineup for the offense.
“Our main goal is to make it back to the tournament,” he said.
In 2023, the Mustangs fell short of winning the MAC championship. The nine years before that? Nine straight MAC championships. Stevenson looks to revive that same streak, starting with this season. For Andrew Searing, that streak now means even more.
Streaming for upcoming men’s lacrosse games will be available through gomustangsports.com
