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For Morgan Alexander, whose collegiate career has been overshadowed by four knee injuries and five surgeries, starting the Instagram account @morganalexandermindset seemed like the right thing to do. 

The first time she tore her ACL was during her redshirt freshman year in 2017. She wished there was someone she could talk with who had experienced an injury — and a setback — as severe as hers. So, she started the social media page to share her story. 

Beyond her Instagram page, Alexander has become a prominent voice in a community of athletes nationwide who’ve experienced similar injuries. She’s spoken on podcasts, received messages from strangers asking for advice and served as a role model to young athletes by publicly documenting her journey back from serious injuries.

“I realized, ‘Oh wow, I have been through a lot, and I have come out on top.’ So I was like, ‘How can I inspire others?’” Alexander said. “If I can walk away from this university and have inspired just one person, that’s the ultimate win.”

Now in her sixth year at Syracuse, the attack returns for the Orange after suffering yet another season-ending injury in 2020. The Instagram bio of the account lists her injury and recovery resume: two ACL tears, one microfracture surgery, two MCL tears, four torn meniscuses and one fake kneecap. Alexander has appeared in just one full season at SU, in 2019, and has notched 27 career goals in 28 games.

“To play one season in five years, it’s just devastating,” Alexander said. “It’s almost hard to wrap your mind around sometimes, so I said to myself, ‘I have the opportunity to come back. I’m definitely going to come back and prove to myself (that I) have the strength to do it again.’”

Alexander’s first post on @morganalexandermindset was a November 2020 introduction where she announced plans to post videos of her workouts, inspirational quotes and the meals she was eating. Soon, she posted a workout with Kacy Small, who runs the Shake School, a program that teaches lacrosse-specific one-on-one skills. Alexander’s page and the Shake School aren’t exclusively for injury prevention and recovery, but it’s a prominent aspect of both.

Small coached men’s lacrosse, but when he switched over to coaching women, he noticed that in just four years, a player suffered an ACL injury annually. That’s why injury prevention became so important to him, he said. 

His drills help players who’ve injured their knees — like Alexander — readjust to specific lacrosse movements, such as sharp cuts and dodges. They help prevent future injuries, too.

Alexander worked with Small virtually due to the pandemic. He’d send videos demonstrating drills, and Alexander would attempt to replicate them. 

“I’ve dealt with people in their second round (of injury recovery), and it just beats them up mentally,” Small said. “So for her to be able to get through a third round I think shows that she’s mentally on a different level.”

Even for Alexander, who’s familiar with the recovery process, the drills still weren’t straightforward. Small said she made progress between her first and most recent training, in early December and late January, respectively. She started out stiff and uncomfortable but gained more confidence over time. 

Shannon Kirkpatrick | Presentation Director

 

Small likened the process of regaining confidence in a previously injured knee to regaining trust in an unfaithful partner. To trust a knee that has been surgically repaired twice and regain the muscle memory of lacrosse movements is an accomplishment that Small gives Alexander credit for.

“I don’t think it’s easy (to put yourself) on camera doing drills that she clearly was struggling through at first, and put that out there for people to judge or view or see her in her weaker points,” Small said. “I did think that that was pretty commendable.”

Beyond the Instagram account, which has become inactive since the season began, Alexander has shared her story in various other forums and guest speaker panels. That’s how she met Dr. Arman Taghizadeh, a former NCAA D-I wrestler and current sports psychiatrist and host of a podcast called “The Mindset Experience.” 

Taghizadeh invited Alexander onto his podcast in January, where she discussed how she overcame obstacles to become a D-I lacrosse player at Syracuse, as well as how she battled through five knee injuries. Taghizadeh was impressed by how open and vulnerable Alexander was — the attack shared stories of how she would call her mom crying every day when she was sidelined. He noted that her openness was not only an inspiration to his listeners but also a sign of true toughness.

“What she’s done is she’s taken this concept of vulnerability and turned it into an incredible strength,” Taghizadeh said.

After the podcast aired, Taghizadeh said high school athletes and coaches reached out to him because they were inspired by Alexander’s story. The coaches told him they shared the podcast with their players as inspiration. 

Those athletes have reached out to Alexander, too. Even before she launched the Instagram page, she was involved in the injury recovery community. Now, she’s connected with about about 30 people and has spoken with them about their ACL recovery journeys. 

“Some of the messages I’ve received on there will literally bring you to tears,” Alexander said. 

Morgan Alexander handles the ball in Syracuse’s 16-6 win over Stony Brook. Courtesy of Scott Schild | Syracuse.com

Alexander is there for her teammate and close friend Emily Hawryschuk, too. The All-American tore her ACL after Syracuse’s season-opener and announced she’d be out for the season. Alexander said that Hawryschuk always looks at her and says, “If you can do five surgeries, I can do one.” 

Years after her first knee injury, Alexander’s father, Mike, remembers the moments when he thought his daughter’s lacrosse career would be over. He’s since watched her use injuries to reframe her mindset and inspire others. 

“I’m really impressed with what she’s done,” Mike said. “How she’s taken a negative and spun it positive for not only herself but for the university and for kids across the country.”

Just a year after tearing her ACL for a second time and only a month after being cleared to play again, Alexander suited up for Syracuse’s home opener against Stony Brook. With just six minutes remaining in the first half, Alexander flashed to the top of the 8-meter arc. With her back to goal, she received a low ball from Maddy Baxter, spun right and fired a low shot that flew past the Seawolves goalie and into the bottom right corner of the net. 

Alexander threw her stick down and hugged her teammates in celebration. It was her first goal in a year, and once again, she was back. She knew the feeling, the mindset and the journey that it took to get to that point. And she’s trying to share all of that with athletes like her.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Oh, do you wish never got hurt?’” Alexander said. “No, I do not wish for a second I never got hurt … because the lessons I have learned from this injury, I’ll take on with me for the rest of my life, and that is the greatest blessing.”

Published on March 17, 2021 at 10:55 pm

Contact Gaurav: gshetty@syr.edu