Stephanie Soares arrived on Iowa State’s campus last spring looking to take on one final collegiate challenge. Up to that point, she had completed her undergraduate studies at The Master’s University, a small Christian college in Santa Clarita, Calif. She had torn her left ACL ahead of her junior season, but took home NAIA Player of the Year honors for the second time during her senior campaign. A 6-foot-6 center with a deft touch from the perimeter, Soares had professional aspirations. And she wanted to compete against tougher competition. Even her coach of three years with the Mustangs, Dan Waldeck, gave her a push to transfer. “Go play at a top level program,” he told her.
Yet Soares couldn’t have predicted the obstacle that would alter her first — and only — season in Ames. Less than two minutes into Iowa State’s top-20 matchup against Oklahoma on Jan. 8, Soares fell to the floor after attempting an awkward jump-hook. She immediately clutched her left knee. She needed help exiting the court. That night, thoughts raced through Soares’ head. Some she had pondered before: What’s going to happen next? What am I going to look like next year? Can I be the same player I was working to be? This time, however, she also wondered if she was out of time to find…
