By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Holliston’s Kaylee MacDonald got involved with sports at a very young age and the excitement of all the games kept her going for many years. In fact, Macdonald has been a three-sport (soccer, basketball and football) athlete all four years of her high school career. She also played club softball for the Frozen Ropes out of Natick.

During those years, the now graduated senior was awarded numerous accolades. She was named the tam MVP of the soccer team, while also earning Tri-Valley League (TVL) All-Star status as well as being named to the Eastern Massachusetts All-Star team. On the basketball court she received the Coaches Award and playing for the Panthers on the diamond she was team MVP, defensive player of the year for Holliston and TVL All-Star. 

Although softball is by far her favorite as well as her best sport, it was on the soccer field in which her senior year came crashing down. During a Division 2 Tournament game against Billerica Memorial (Holliston would win the game 2-1) MacDonald tore her ACL and meniscus trying to avoid a collision with the opposition’s goalie and just like that the rest of her senior year vanished. There would be no basketball or softball to be played in er senior campaign at Holliston.

“As I went down after trying to avoid the collision I heard a pop and knew that I was done,” MacDonald recalled. “Immediately I knew that I was not getting up and my high school career as well as any future in sports was over. I honestly don’t remember anything else; I think that I blacked out.”

While it would be her teammates that were worried about her wellbeing, it was MacDonald who was worried about letting her team down. 

“They relied on me and it sucked that I couldn’t lead my team on the field,” she said. “Instead I was watching from the side line and felt that I was letting them all down.” 

The scenario continually running through her head where she couldn’t help her team against Mansfield in the second round of the tournament and there would be no basketball or softball during her senior year.

Not only was her high school season over for the two sports, but MacDonald was also losing her collegiate career. The Holliston athlete was due to play softball for Endicott College, but the injury took that from her. By not being able to play for the Gulls at Endicott MacDonald sat down and reevaluated her future. She eventually decided to attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to study business and if the opportunity ever arose where she could take the field again she noted she might attempt to play club softball for the Minutemen.

The injury may have taken away her ability to take the field and participate with her teammates as their captain, MacDonald still managed to get to each and every game to support her teams in any way possible.

Macdonald noted that it definitely stunk sitting on the bench or in the dugout instead or getting onto the court or the diamond. She continued to say that the teams didn’t have good years but truly believes that she could have helped. 

“The teams were struggling and I would have done anything to get out there and play with them one more time; I grew up with these girls,” she said getting chocked up. “Having to lose two full seasons my senior year was very hard. I’d go home and sit down with my parents and continually ask why. My dad said things happen for a reason, I just don’t understand it.”

While she was having a real tough time sitting on the bench, Holliston alumni and assistant basketball coach Jackie Alibrandi was there for the senior. According to MacDonald, Alibrandi had gone through a similar situation and she was there to try and make it easier for the heartbroken senior. Alibrandi told MacDonald that it was not the end of the world and yes while it did take away the rest of her high school senior year she needed to make the best of it and help the team from the bench in any way that she could. Although everything came crashing down on her, she eventually fully realized that it was not the end of the world.

While her original goal was to attend Endicott and play softball after having surgery in late November of last year she knew that it was going to take at least nine months of rehabilitation before she could once again take to the field. Now that she will be attending UMASS she is hoping that she can play for the Minutemen at some point over the next four years.

“I will play again, absolutely – there is no doubt about it,” she said. “I will get back onto the field no matter what it takes and no one is going to stop me.”

And while she will not be able to play this summer with the Frozen Ropes, she is positive that come next summer she will be on the field with her teammates and if she continues to work hard in physical therapy she believes that she’ll have a shot at playing for the UMASS softball club team.

“I feel that at this point (about two-thirds through her rehabilitation) that I have full range of motion, although I am stiff at times because I overdo it at times,” she said. “Things are looking good – I just need to keep that positive mindset and I’ll be alright and ready to go by next year.”