The greatest obstacle and reward in the recovery process was when she ran for the first time after her surgery.

“I was so nervous to run,” Halpern said. “I had to learn how to run evenly all over again. It’s hard because as much as it’s a physical game, it’s also a mental game. I had felt trapped and bad to not be able to do all of these physical things. I was going crazy, because I wanted to play so badly. I wanted to go out, dodge, run, and be free. Once I took those first steps, I felt free again for the first time.”

Halpern began to show a lot of progress, and after about sixth month’s worth of training after her surgery, she was able to practice with the team again.

“The year that I wasn’t playing, I felt that there was a void inside of me,” Halpern said. “I hated being on the sideline and not being able to be out there. It took a toll on my mind, but I tried to channel that energy through working really hard in my rehab and to make sure my knee was 100 percent when I came back.”

Although practices had been going well, Halpern found out three weeks ago that she had sprained the same MCL once again. But despite the setback, Halpern is expected to take the field for the Crimson in one to two weeks.

Knowing everything that she has been through, Halpern’s teammates look forward to her return.

“Jess is almost a once in a lifetime player,” sophomore attacker Jennifer VanderMeulen said. “She gets so much pressure, so much attention, yet she blows by everyone. She’s the type of player you admire. She’s fantastic. Hopefully she’ll be out there soon and ready to play.”

—Staff writer Stephanie E. Herwatt can be reached at sherwatt@college.harvard.edu.