By Hayden Swope

For many athletes, preparing for the upcoming sports season looks the same. Salina South’s Maliyah Koster on the other hand, her preparation looks a little different.

“Preparing for the season has looked a little different for me my past two seasons,” Koster said. “In August of 2022 I had surgery on my right knee for my ACL and then exactly one year later I had surgery on my left knee for my ACL. After this most recent surgery I spent about three months attending physical therapy and working on the basics like getting my range of motion back, gaining stability, and learning to trust my new ACL.”

Even with doubts, Koster has gotten back up time and time again and plans to return this softball season stronger than ever.

“The most important thing for me was getting even stronger than I was before to make sure my legs could support my knee,” Koster said. “I started getting back into softball training around January and I would say my biggest weakness working up to this season was getting past that mental block that most athletes get after an ACL injury. With this being my second time dealing with an ACL injury it’s hard to not be afraid of it happening again.”

With a big season ahead for Koster, big goals and aspirations come along with it.

“As a team we are eager to make it back to state after placing fourth at the 5A state tournament last season,” Koster said. “Our field is going to look a lot different after losing seven varsity starters from last season but we have so many talented players that are already filling those spots and performing at a varsity level.”