Maintaining an injury at the end of the season is any athlete’s worst nightmare. Additionally, suffering multiple ACL cracks in two of the past three years is far more daunting than any player can ever imagine.
After a stellar start in nine games in her senior campaign, Lady Lion established striker Kelly Jekot played her final season with a sizable chip on her shoulder.
After suffering a cruciate ligament, MCL, LCL and meniscus tear in her right knee in Villanova late in the 2018/19 season, Jekot moved to Penn State to keep her injury-related past in the dark despite having a starting front. Court place on the list of wild cats.
Jekot’s risk paid off when crafty striker Carolyn Kieger’s young squad led to an early, greatly improved 4-5 record, averaging 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Her most impressive performance was the Lady Lions’ first conference win of the season against Minnesota on January 10, when she scored a total of 15 points and eight rebounds.
More importantly, the veteran’s leadership style carried the inexperienced program for his first Big Ten triumph in 366 days.
Little did Jekot know then that the matchup in Minneapolis in mid-January would likely be her last in college uniform. Prior to Penn State’s home date at Northwestern a week later, the high school student experienced Deja Vu in the most adverse manner by rupturing his left ACL during a routine exercise.
Amid the devastation, Jekot has remained a positive influence as a player-coach on the sidelines of Kieger and her thriving program. Additionally, she has built a strong social media presence on TikTok by generating content to document her long, yet steady recovery efforts.
@kellyjekot
Follow me and my Tik Tok diary about my progress over the next 9 months
Hype me up, this is my second time #surgery #pennstate #basketball #fyp ♬ Celebrate the good times – Mason
Since her first post On February 12th, Jekot gained more than 750 followers and 109,000 views on just 11 TikTok videos. After undergoing surgery that day, Jekot has since shared her previous injuries as well as rehabilitation methods she and Penn State’s training staff have used.
@kellyjekot
I can’t wait to see how far I’ve come
# Day1 #physicaltherapy #acl #pennstate #motivation ♬ Uplifting Corporate – BlueWhaleMusic
Jekot surrendered last week another postThis included several encouraging signs of a smooth transition process. In a short time after her procedure, she was able to bend her knee 80 degrees on her own and perform body-weighted leg lifts.
If you want to follow the entire Jekot recovery process, please find their TikTok Hereor in the application of the platform at @TwoFiveee.
Connor Krause is a freshman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializing in journalism. He is a lifelong Penn State football and basketball fan and loves supporting sports teams in Pittsburgh. In his spare time, Connor plays golf or pick-up basketball. You can follow his Twitter and Instagram @ ckrause_31.
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