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But two days into postseason practice, she
tore the ACL in her other knee.
The pain was no less searing this time, but at
least she knew what it was. “I knew what to do.
I knew what to expect” — more surgery, more
rehab.
But the pain hasn’t stopped. “It hurts every
day,” she admits. “We work to rehab it.”
Coach Candrea, who’s known her since she
was a little kid, notes that “Alyssa is a gifted
athlete who plays the game with great passion
and competitive drive. She has been through
many ups and downs in her college career, with
two knee surgeries in three years. This will
challenge anyone — especially when you are born
to play a game that you love and have worked
so hard to compete at the college level. These
obstacles have made Alyssa a better person by
teaching her what truly is important in life.”
Coming back in the 2018 season, Palomino
worked so hard on the field and in the classroom
that she was named Sophomore Female Athlete
of the Year.
Her life as a top college athlete is demanding.
In 2018, the team played a daunting 54 games in Alyssa Palomino
the regular season, competing in three matches Palomino says she’s working “100 percent”
most weekends, often out of town, and playing toward a post-college softball career in one of
occasional Wednesday games. The team finished the six pro teams or on the USA Softball team.
the season competing in Arizona’s 13th NCAA For now, she’s giving her all to the ’Cats and their
Super Regional, losing to UCLA. Thrown into fans, a fervent crew of students, parents, alumni
that mix are regular practices, weight training, — and hordes of young girls.
conditioning and college classes. “Our fans are amazing,” she says.
Palomino has two demanding majors, At the end of home games, kids are invited to
psychology and sociology, and a minor in run the bases. Fired up after watching Palomino
criminal justice. During the season “we lose one and the other women running, girls come out in
or two school days a week,” she says, though she force and sprint around the field as fast as they
gets a lot of work done in team study halls twice can.
a week. Palomino feels honored to be a role model.
And she brings the same intense “I look at that and think, ‘That’s the little
concentration to her schoolwork that she shows girl I was,’” says Palomino, her eyes tearing up.
in the game. A mentor once advised her, “Be “It’s great that I can be that person for them. It’s
where your feet are.” It’s advice she tries to follow. humbling.”
“If you’re in class, you’re paying attention,”
she says. “And if you’re on the field, you’re
playing.”

SUMMER 2018 49