It was early May, and life was lining up perfectly for Charlotte Akervik. 

She went into her Sunday conditioning session fresh off a first-team all-state season as a sophomore defenseman for the ECA Stars. She had a plethora of colleges after her and was armed with a spot at the USA Hockey U-18 player development camp.

On this particular day, however, she was feeling a bit heavy in the legs. After all, balancing postseason hockey with track will take a toll on anyone. Late in the workout, she went up for a box jump. 

“Landed straight-legged and heard a big pop,” Akervik said. “It didn’t hurt too bad, but I just knew something was wrong with it.”

Over a week passed. The swelling didn’t stop. And she still couldn’t straighten it.

“I had some friends whose daughters have played basketball and soccer and have done ACLs,” said her mother, Caroline Akervik. “We didn’t even want to think about that.”

The Akerviks had no choice in the end.