In the position she was in at this time last year, Syracuse attack Caitlyn Dragon would’ve been lucky if she could ever play lacrosse at a high level again.

After a serious meniscus tear and surgery in January 2003 sidelined Dragon for her entire sophomore season, two more knee surgeries later that year, including anterior cruciate ligament replacement surgery, took her out for all but nine games of her junior year.

Despite having three knee surgeries in a year, so far this season Dragon has come through on a promise she made with herself to stay healthy and lead the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team. She is SU’s leading scorer with 22 points, more than tripling her career total of points coming into this year. Dragon and the Orange travel to Connecticut on Saturday to play the Huskies at 1 p.m.

‘She had to catch up,’ said Syracuse head coach Lisa Miller. ‘It’s been a battle. She’s always had a great work ethic. She is the fittest kid on the team. She works. Some kids would’ve packed it in because it’s tough. I’m really happy for her.’

It took all of Dragon’s work ethic to come back. She worked with a physical therapist, pushing herself for the three hours each day at the gym with leg exercises. Dragon wore a device on her left leg every day for eight hours to ease the pain and speed healing. Watching her try to rehabilitate her knee was ‘intense,’ Dragon’s father, Bob, said.

And the only thing driving Dragon was the urge to play lacrosse.

‘She was really positive through it all,’ her mother, Lynn, said. ‘Lacrosse is her love.’

Syracuse expected Dragon to be a serious contributor in her sophomore year before her knee became weak and began to buckle during preseason lacrosse workouts. Her doctors said it was possible she could heal fast enough to return late in the 2003 season.

But a checkup revealed that the first meniscus surgery failed to repair her left knee. Doctors had to undo the original surgery and fix the torn cartilage.

Just when it seemed Dragon could begin to play lacrosse again in the summer of 2003, the injuries and surgeries on her knee caused her ACL to wear out. She needed to have replacement surgery.

‘It was very difficult,’ Bob said. ‘She never was injured before. It was mentally exhausting and frustrating. She’s happy she’s on the field playing. That’s the most important thing to her.’

It’s still taken Dragon almost two years to reach the level of ability she expects of herself. After using last season to work out the kinks of sitting out more than a year, she trained in the summer with the same intensity she used in rehabilitation.

After scoring five goals in nine games last year, Dragon has 16 in six games this season. But she still believes she’s only started to return to form.

‘At this time last year I was still recovering from surgery, so I probably wouldn’t (have expected to lead the team in points),’ Dragon said. ‘I hope to keep improving. I’ve worked on shooting, one-on-one moves near the crease. It’s getting there.’

Those close to Dragon know she’s just being modest. But after the obstacles she faced just to return to the lacrosse field, there’s no reason not to believe Dragon has much more planned for this season.

Just don’t expect to hear about it from her.

‘She doesn’t brag,’ Bob said. ‘She doesn’t say much about what she’s going to do or not going to do. She just keeps working.’

Published on March 22, 2005 at 12:00 pm