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Emery enjoyed a standout career at Briarcrest and played for Tennessee at the 2011 US Lacrosse National Tournament.


dad always said, ‘Can’t is not a word,’ so whatever I would do, ‘can’t’ wasn’t an option. We would figure out something to get the job done. It was never easy, but it was almost more fun because I would have to figure out how to do it correctly for me, instead of someone just telling me, do this. It was more of a challenge, and I guess it triggered my determination.” As a catcher in softball, Emery would catch with her left hand, move the glove under her right arm, grab the ball with her left hand and throw — all in a smooth, quick motion. During a brief stint as a pitcher, she would leave the glove on the ground and pick it up immediately after pitching. In basketball, Emery could only shoot left-handed, but found she could dribble twice with her right hand before switching back to the left side. There were fewer restrictions in soccer, as the only thing she couldn’t do was a throw-in, but lacrosse ended up being her greatest passion. She still cradles and catches on her right side but finds ways to set herself up on the left side to shoot. Lacrosse came naturally with the skills she applied from other sports.


A Publication of US Lacrosse


“With lacrosse, there’s always something I can improve on,” Emery said. “It’s more of a challenge so it was more exciting.” Emery decided as a freshman in high school that she wanted to play college lacrosse. She committed to Liberty, a neophyte program that’s now in its fourth year, as a sophomore. Former Liberty coach Regan Denham, who recruited her, was unaware of her disability until her unofficial visit, Emery said, and she also had to let Nangle know upon arriving at school in the fall. It was common for Emery’s disability to go unnoticed, she said, but she never wanted to be treated differently. “I’ve had people say, ‘No, that’s not going to work,’” said Emery, who recorded 76 goals, 20 assists, 42 draw controls, 79 ground balls and 53 caused turnovers as a high school junior. “If other people doubted me, it didn’t affect me, because I wanted to prove them wrong. If I let it bother me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I would just be down on myself, thinking, ‘Why did God allow this happen to me?’ When really, he’s blessed me, because this has made me stronger.” Emery still has suffered setbacks along the way. During the fall soccer season her senior year at Briarcrest, she tore her ACL and missed her final season of high school lacrosse. She played through some normal pains in her return and showed promise by the end of fall ball, Nangle said, but her spring season was delayed by a new issue called neurocardiogenic syncope, which caused her to faint while running. It was mid-February by the time she was cleared to start practicing again. Through it all, Emery has been an inspiration to those around her. “It’s something her teammates have not just respected but admire, how she perseveres,” Nangle said. “She never uses it as an excuse; you never hear her complain. It’s a good example, when you are complaining about your shin or something, she has this disability you never hear about. Sometimes I forget she is that way because it’s not something she makes known, which is awesome.” LM


April 2014 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 59


©LIBERTY


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