Lainey Stephenson is a fifth-year senior women's volleyball student-athlete at Wright State who led the Horizon League with 10.66 assists per set this year. She graduates with the second-most assists in Wright State program history and the ninth most in Horizon League history. Her 1,549 career digs are the third most in program history.
She earned her undergraduate degree in media studies and master's degree in physical education with a focus in sports management. Stephenson will soon be starting the next phase of her career as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for a Division I women's volleyball program. During the end of her final season of competition as a Raider, Stephenson ruptured her Achilles tendon.
As part of the NCAA's amplification of student-athlete voices during Mental Health Awareness Month, Stephenson shares a firsthand perspective on her injury and the value of a sports psychologist for student-athletes.
I was gaslighting myself into thinking that I was fine, and I wasn't.
There's a ton of student-athletes like me who don't want to seek out help. Not because it's embarrassing, but sometimes you don't realize what's happening in your mind until you're talking with a professional.
I'm a perfectionist, and I beat myself into the ground if I don't think I'm performing at my highest level. During COVID-19, I was having a little bit of a difficult time, and my coaches made me see our sports psychologist. Like literally made me.
Her name is Allison Newlin, and she helped me with performance anxiety, visualization and breathing. When I was playing, I always used tips and skills I learned from her.
Nothing could have prepared me for Oct. 29, 2022, a day forever imprinted in my mind. It was the birthday of one of my best guy friends, Simar, and we were playing in Milwaukee, his hometown.
I invited him to the game, and he playfully said, "Dude, it's my birthday. I'm not coming to your game." But Simar's birthday isn't what sticks out about that day.
It was a routine serve. I ran across the net, preparing to set up a teammate, something that I've done a million times. I went to push off my left foot and fell.
I felt it and heard it immediately. I knew.
I lay there on the cold gym floor, and I wasn't crying. Everyone surrounding me was confused, but I matter of factly told them, "My Achilles ruptured."
I wasn't even in pain yet. I was just pissed that I was hurt for that game.
As they carried me off to the training room, the tears came. It hit me that I was probably never going to play again. Our trainer laid me down on the table face down, bent my leg up and squeezed my calf to check the injury. If your toes move, your Achilles is fine.
My toes didn't move at all.
I was trying to move them to cheat the system and be like, "I'm fine," but I didn't have control of my foot.
Wright State fifth-year senior women's volleyball student-athlete Lainey Stephenson suffered a ruptured Achilles during a match on Oct. 29, 2022.
I collected myself and wanted to see the end of the game. I stopped by the bathroom, and our team moms were upset. On crutches, I hobbled out to the bench. The girls were just as upset but putting on a strong front for me. We won 3-0, and postgame even the dads were upset for me.
It felt like my own funeral.
All the pain started to kick in on the seven-hour bus ride back to Dayton. It was like someone had taken a knife to my calf and was pulling down.
I got maybe two hours of sleep when I got home. I just kept hearing the popping in my head.
I tore it on a Saturday, met with a surgeon Monday and had surgery Tuesday. We had a big game against Northern Kentucky that night, battling for the right to host the conference tournament. I didn't think I could watch.
It was the most stressful two and a half hours of my life, and I wasn't even playing. I had no control over it — so I was miserable. We won in five sets, but it was more than the game results that I remember.
I'm from the area around Northern Kentucky, and I'm friends with a lot of those girls. Their parents made me signs, "Good luck on your recovery!" and "We love you!" That was so nice.
Those types of moments are special.
After the season, I earned Horizon League Setter of the Year for the second time in my career. Thank God! I think mentally if I didn't get it, I would have been distraught. That was literally the only thing left I had to hold onto.
The Oakland team sent me a card. Every coach I saw at the conference tournament came up and said really nice things, interactions I don't think would have happened without the injury.
In the moment, I was really polite to people about it. I'd put on my brave face, but I would leave and cry about it. I don't think I'll never not be upset about it.
Following her procedure, Stephenson recovered both physically and mentally from her injury with the help of her sports psychologist.
Maybe the injury did happen for a reason? I wouldn't have gotten any of that acknowledgment. Looking back now, it's nice to see that other people thought I made an impact. It's comforting.
During Senior Night, not even a week after the injury, Allison came up to me and gave me a rock. She told me, "Remember how strong you are. I'm always here for you." She knows I'm not one to seek her out, which is how a lot of athletes are.
Allison had open hours in our athletic training room, and I would go in and talk to her there. She more wanted me to focus on my mental health and look outside of volleyball. My life had been consumed by the sport. She helped me see the bigger picture and helped me move on quicker than I would have if I didn't see her.
She's great. I love her, and I'm so thankful for her.
It's important for student-athletes to have someone to talk to other than their teammates. Sometimes you need professional opinions and advice to get through a time. Nobody on my team could relate to my Achilles injury. Allison couldn't relate, but she gave me the tools and guidance to get me through it.
It's a necessity for student-athletes to have access to a sports psychologist. It should be a requirement, and I know the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has been vocal. We really fought in the Horizon League for there to be at least one sports psychologist on each campus. I was shocked in 2020 when some schools didn't have one. We've lost too many student-athletes to mental health. It's a crisis at this point.
No one should be afraid to ask for help. If you know someone is struggling, recommend they talk to somebody.
I didn't want to, but once I did, I was 30 times better. Playing better, feeling better and sleeping better. It's better for your overall health if you have access to mental health professionals.
I could jog for the first time in late April, and I'm supposed to be cleared to run June 12. My surgeon told me he thought I was lucky that I was a fifth-year student-athlete because most athletes only become about 85% of what they were pre-injury.
It could have been worse. I could have been a freshman or sophomore. I always try to find the "it happened for a reason" moments.
I have to keep things in perspective.
As the Association's national center of excellence, the NCAA Sport Science Institute works closely with the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and is committed to serving and educating the membership. For more information on mental health, visit the Sports Science Institute's mental health page and mental health best practices page.
Best practice No. 1 is clinical licensure of practitioners providing mental health care. Schools are encouraged to ensure that the mental health care of a college athlete is provided by a licensed individual who is qualified to provide mental health services.
Access resources designed to help athletics department staff, conference offices and campus stakeholders implement the mental health best practices.
