College Admissions 101 - What Happens If You Have a Career Ending Injury

October 16, 2024

We asked our 2024 Summer Interns to give advice on a variety of topics for student-athletes entering the college admission process. Next up, we asked Ava Hilaire about experiencing a career ending injury after being recruited to play a sport in college.

Q: What school do you go to?

AH: I go to Western New England University

Q: Why did you choose your school?

AH: The sports management program and being recruited to play softball

Q: What factors influenced your decision?

AH: The main reasoning was the softball aspect of school. I knew I wanted to play college softball and the program had a great resume to back them. The coaches and being able to meet the players was a great opportunity to see more of an insight into everyday demands of that schedule but also getting advice on to actually balance school, softball, and social life.

Q: How did your college experience change when you made the decision to stop playing softball?

AH: I tore my achilles the first day of the second week of school, which was also the first practice of preseason of my sophomore year of college. I stayed and helped out the team for the entirety of sophomore season, helping with paperwork, taking stats, giving the pitchers signs, and being the best teammate I could be. But I knew the injury was a full year recovery after surgery. Going through my freshman year, I knew of the demand it would have on my physically and mentally plus the addition to retraining my body on how to pitch. I knew my junior year was going to be my most difficult year yet academically so I chose to step away for this year and see how it works. Overall, my workload and recovery were the main factors that swayed my decision. This past year I got a job and have another for this upcoming school year so that has helped keep my free time productive. I definitely miss playing softball and would advise anyone going through any type of decision about taking a step back from the sport you love, to think about what is best for you in the future, meaning either sticking with it because you know you still have more to accomplish or moving on and doing other things that you wouldn’t expect yourself to do with this new found free time.

Q: What advice do you have for an incoming college student or someone going through the process of choosing?

AH: When it comes to the recruiting process, I have two pieces of advice - (1) be prepared with questions for coaches after clinics and (2) market yourself as much as you can.

My BIGGEST piece of advice is to, before clinics, think of 2-3 questions to ask the coaches. It can be about anything - what everyday life is for athletes at that school, how do people balance it, what a week in preseason looks like, etc. At the end of recruiting clinics, coaches always bring all the players and parents into a huddle and talk about the softball aspect, what they are looking for, etc. To set yourself apart from others, think of some questions that they could take a minute to answer. It makes them think you care rather than just one of the girls who just showed up because their parents made them and are just waiting to go home. I can’t count the number of times coaches, including the coach I eventually committed with, told me they remembered me specifically by either the question I asked them or the conversations we had.

Another thing I did specifically, was I filmed EVERYTHING. My parents bought a GoPro and we filmed every hitting practice, pitching practice with my pitching coach, and games. Before games, my mom would go and stick the GoPro in the fence right behind home plate to get the best view. We then edited them to into small clips and posted them on a softball Instagram page we made. YOU NEED TO MARKET YOURSELF! I would post clips of every clinic I went to and would send them to all the coaches to show them my progress or just what I am up to. Follow all the schools you like so that your videos can show up on their feed.

About Ava Hilaire

Ava is a senior at Western New England University studying sports management. As a two-sport high school varsity athlete, Ava continued to play softball at WNE before tearing her Achilles sophomore year. In the summer of 2023, Ava was a Sports Coordinator Intern with Boston Ski and Sports Club and looks forward to growing her sports management experience with Bay State Games. A fun fact about Ava is that to celebrate her high school graduation, Ava went skydiving!

See more recruiting tools and college admissions process information at our Recruiting Tools page.

College Admissions 101 Previous Posts

October 2, 2024 - Going to School Far From Home

October 9, 2024 - Transferring After Your First Year

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Bay State Games Announces 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Recipients

November 18, 2025

The Bay State Games has selected six statewide scholarship recipients for the 2025 Future Leaders Scholarship Program. These student-athletes were selected from a large applicant pool after a process that included committee reviews of all applications and virtual interviews with selected applicants. These future leaders were selected based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles. The Bay State Games Future Leaders Scholarship program was established in 1989 and has since distributed nearly $400,000 in financial aid. Each of these high school seniors will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college. “Bay State Games is proud to continue the Future Leaders Scholarship program which since 1989 has provided over $400,000 in aid to support the continuing education of outstanding young leaders." said Kevin Cummings, Executive Director of the Bay State Games. “These well deserving student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, on the field and in the community, representing a variety of schools, sports and regions across Massachusetts” This year’s six scholarship recipients are Elyse Bissada, Brooke Blahut, Abigail Howie, Olivia Laaper, Sabina Mackechnie, Molly McIntyre. Elyse Bissada is a senior at Dover-Sherborn High School, where she is a four-year varsity field hockey and track & field athlete, as well as the team captain for both sports. In 2025, Elyse was a member of the Bay State Games Southeast field hockey team where she won a gold medal. Elyse is the founder of the Veterinary Medicine Club at her school and in her free time volunteers at local farms and Animal Rescue Leagues across the state. Elyse has committed to play field hockey and study biology at Hamilton College, where she plans to pursue veterinary medicine and ultimately establish an affordable low-cost clinic that serves her community. Brooke Blahut is a senior at North Quincy High School where she is a 4-year varsity member of the soccer team, and captain of the varsity ice hockey team. Brooke is also a well accomplished figure skater. She began skating at age 2 at Winterland Skating School and is now a U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist. Brooke has participated in Bay State Games annually since 2016, medaled 6 times, and is a 4-year Bay State Games High School Ambassador. Brooke is also the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Ambassador for NQHS. Brooke is Vice President of her class, a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society and academically ranks in the top 5% of her class with a 4.6 GPA. Brooke is a two-time team leader and participant in the FBI Teen Leadership Academy and plans to pursue her master’s in forensic science and criminology and become an FBI Special Agent. Abigail Howie is a senior at Wilmington High School, where she is on the varsity soccer team and is captain of the Winter and Spring Track teams. Abigail serves as President of Student Council and the Wildcat Service Council, where she founded the “Bridging Generations” community initiative. She is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA, and Best Buddies. Abigail coaches a Wilmington fourth-grade team and is a USSF-certified soccer referee. She has most recently created an Alzheimer's Awareness community service project for her senior year. She hopes to continue her athletic career in college while studying sports management and marketing. Olivia Laaper resides in Stow and is a senior at Fusion Academy in Burlington. Laaper has been a captain of multiple high school sports teams including Track & Field and Swimming. Olivia is captain of her archery team at Riverside Archers and has won multiple medals in archery at Bay State Games and state competitions. Beyond athletics, Olivia has gained hands-on experience in emergency medicine as a high school intern with Pro EMS and plans to take her EMT certification this fall. She gives back to her community by lifeguarding and coaching youth swimming at Goldfish Swim School, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and at local food banks. In college, Olivia plans to pursue a degree in nursing with a minor in emergency medicine and psychology. Sabina Mackechnie is a senior at East Longmeadow High School where she is a three sport athlete and captain in Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse. She has earned all-league and second-team All-Western Mass honors in soccer and lacrosse. Sabina has been a By State Games Ambassador for two years and is a member of her school's Athletic Leadership Council and Pink Ribbon Club. Sabina participates in canned food drives and fundraisers for her school sports teams. Sabina will continue her lacrosse career at Springfield College while pursuing a degree in Education. Molly McIntyre is a senior at Norton High School where she is a three-sport captain in cross country, basketball, and outdoor track, earning multiple TVL All-Star honors, and MVP awards. Molly serves in key leadership roles on Student Council, DECA, Best Buddies, and five National Honor Societies. She volunteers at local youth sports programs, community events, and the MSG Gregory Trent Foundation. Molly works part-time at a donut shop and local ice cream store. She plans on attending Stonehill College where she will compete in track and study Finance and Marketing. For more information on the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, click here. For a list of past recipients and the colleges and universities they've attended, click here . About the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation/Bay State Games The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 1982 to host the first sanctioned state games of the Commonwealth. It operates with the mission of promoting personal development, education, physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship to Massachusetts citizens of all ages and abilities. The Foundation is recognized for hosting high quality, Olympic-style events through the Bay State Summer and Winter Games, as well as educational programs, including the Future Leaders Scholarship Program, and the High School Ambassador Program.