By Mark Emery
An ACL tear is the type of injury that sends many athletes from the field to the bleachers. For former Ohio field hockey standout Torrie Albini, the opposite was true.
Recently, Albini was one of 28 women chosen to play for the U.S. National Team, and she has her not-so-devastating injury to thank for that.
“Tearing my ACL is one of the most significant contributors to me making the national team,” Albini said. “Prior to my injury, I was neither mentally nor physically prepared to play at the international level.”
Albini tore her ACL in 2009 while participating in the Cal Cup in Moorpark, Calif.
The pain she experienced in her knee was anything but agonizing and ominous. Actually, there was hope that the injury might only be a sprain.
“I would have tried out and likely been cut,” she said, “and that would have been the end of my field hockey career. While rehabilitating my knee, I had the opportunity to better prepare myself.
“The second time around, I had the confidence I was previously lacking.”
Albini’s rehabilitation process consisted of eight visits to a physical therapist. Aside from that, though, the rest of her recovery was done entirely on her own.
Because she knew that her efforts alone would determine her field hockey fate, Albini took the process quite seriously; so seriously, in fact, that after only eight months after her surgery, she did not require the support of a brace.
Tryouts for the national team took place before she was completely healed, but Albini was not worried about the injury. Her only concern was her ability to compete alongside the most skilled field hockey players in the country.
Those doubts were soon squashed when she emerged from the tournament as the top scorer. Following that performance, Albini was named to the national development team, where she spent a year before moving up to the top squad.
“I've always known I have the natural ability to play at this level, but it takes a lot more than just God-given talent to survive on the national team,” Albini said. “I knew I had to greatly improve many areas if I wanted to stick around, and that's what I've been doing.
“I don't view my injury as a setback, but as a motivator that I can overcome anything.”
In addition to her determination and resilience, Albini’s simple ability to hit the ball — which Ohio coach Neil Macmillan described as something that “very, very few people in the world have” — likely helped earn her a spot on the team.
“She can hit the ball as hard as anyone I’ve seen,” Macmillan said.
“She’s the epitome of an athlete. She’s extremely muscular, and with that she has extreme quickness.”
During her time as a Bobcat, Albini scored 49 goals and picked up 24 assists. The numbers rank second and fourth respectively in Ohio field hockey history.
In 2007, her senior season, Albini led the nation in scoring with 20 goals. She also tallied 14 assists, a number that tied Ohio’s single-season record.
“While at Ohio I led a very balanced life,” Albini said. “Hockey was a large part of my college experience, but it was not my entire identity.
“Playing for the national team, I still strive to live a balanced life, not so that it takes away from my performance, but so that I am a better player with a clear mind.
One thing that has changed is the time she spends developing her own skill, she said. Going forward, MacMillan said he expects Albini to make a noticeable impact internationally, particularly on the offensive side of the game.
Alongside her teammates on the U.S. team, Albini recently finished up a tournament in Dublin, Ireland. The Americans made it to the gold medal game of the eight-team Champions Challenge, but lost to Japan, 3-2.
“To represent the United States on and off the hockey pitch is an honor I'm both lucky and proud to uphold,” Albini said.
“I consider myself blessed to wear the USA jersey.”
me811508@ohiou.edu
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