RANDOLPH, N.J. (BVM) — Under usual circumstances, tearing two ACL’s only 12 months apart provokes the end of an athlete’s athletic career. But for Alyssa Romagnoli, these were anything but usual circumstances. 

Growing up, Romagnoli took part in many different sports from basketball, soccer, lacrosse, track, and softball. For as long as her family could remember, Romagnoli was an athlete that stood out. After finding early success in all sports she took part in, it was clear to both her and her family that soccer was the sport she wanted to focus on.

As she began her freshman year at Randolph High School, Romagnoli would turn heads on the field, not only making the varsity soccer team but instantly becoming a starter as well. 

While playing in a Match Fit Academy soccer game in May of 2017, a midfield collision caused her to tear her right ACL. The devastating injury forced Romagnoli to the sidelines for all athletic activities for nearly six months. 

“I lost about 12 pounds worth of muscle in my leg,” Romagnoli explained. ‘You could see the difference in how skinny my right leg was compared to my left.” 

After the injury, the postoperative recovery process began for the determined athlete. 

“I had to focus first on walking and building my leg strength,” Romagnoli added. “After that, it was learning how to jog, do agility drills, run, and finally sprint. This was all new to me, I was scared that I wouldn’t be the same athlete when I was all set and done with the first recovery process.”  

Eventually, Romagnoli completed her recovery and physical therapy 10 months later. It was finally time for her to get back on the field. After being back on the field for some time, the standout athlete had quickly found her stride once again. 

“Things felt somewhat normal, but it didn’t last long,” Romagnoli stated.

One year later, during a practice for her PDA club soccer season, a sharp cut, which put too much pressure on her knee, caused Romagnoli to tear her other ACL. Romagnoli suffered her second injury in May 2018, exactly 12 months after the first. 

“I knew right away what happened,” Romagnoli explained. “It was the same feeling, but on my other knee.” 

The second recovery process was far from average. Having to go through the entire recovery process not once but twice will put a toll on young athletes, mentally and physically. Not only was the recovery tough, but Romagnoli’s future in the sport she loved was slipping through her fingers. 

After tearing both ACL’s just one year apart, Romagnoli was told that her soccer career had more than likely come to an end. Due to the intense cutting and lateral movements the sport entails, there was no safe way for her to compete at a high level. 

“After the second ACL, it was time to hang up the soccer cleats,” Romagnoli said. “Sure the physical part of recovery was hard, but doing all of this work knowing that I couldn’t play soccer again was by far the hardest part.” 

Still, Romagnoli stayed committed to fulfilling her dream of becoming a collegiate athlete and began to explore other options. Although she didn’t really like competing in track and field when she was younger, Romagnoli knew she had potential to succeed due to her straight-line speed. Along with the potential to succeed, track was one of the few options she could compete in while still being cautious with her knees. 

“The lack of cutting or side-to-side movements in track made it attractive to me,” she added jokingly. “I was laying down one day during my recovery and looked to my dad and said, ‘track it is.’” 

Before she could even complete the recovery process for her second ACL surgery, Romagnoli decided she would become a sprinter in order to continue her athletic career. 

“I’m an athlete,” Romagnoli said. “Athletes compete and I wasn’t even close to done.” 

As Romagnoli completed her second round of recovery her junior year, it was time for her to learn a new sport. Having not run track since fifth grade, she had a lot to catch up on. After training all winter, Romagnoli found herself back on the track running the 4×400-meter relay for the Rams.

“The running part was easy,” Romagnoli said. “The pacing and strategy was a whole new game for me to learn, that was the hard part.” 

While the new sprinter began to find herself on the track during her junior year, her coach suggested that she start running faster races. Before she knew it, Romagnoli was running every race from the 55-meter dash to the 400-meter. This is where she found herself running at her true potential. 

The biggest adjustment from the mid-distance race to the short distance races for Romagnoli was using the blocks and learning how to start efficiently. 

“If you have a bad start off the block in one of the short races like the 100m, your chances of winning the race drop instantly,” she said. “I didn’t even know what the blocks were when I started track earlier that spring.” 

Even though she had no knowledge of using blocks, Romagnoli still placed an impressive ninth in the 200-meter dash at the County Finals, and 15th in the State Sectional Finals for the 100-meter dash. 

Following a monumental junior year, Romagnoli continued her breathtaking performances during the winter of her Senior year. During her winter season, she landed second in Morris County, 11th in New Jersey, and 94th in the USA for the 55-meter dash. 

Although Romagnoli accomplished so much up to this point, one thing was still missing. Romagnoli had yet to find a home for the next four years where she could run track collegiately. 

With her senior season cancelled due to the pandemic, she would only have one full season of track under her belt. Romagnoli knew her inexperience would hurt in recruiting. 

“I was playing catch-up with my recruiting,” Romagnoli said. “The girls I was competing against all knew where they were going and had committed to schools, I had only been running track for a couple months and didn’t know where I was going.” 

In the beginning of March 2020, Romagnoli verbally committed to West Virginia University to run track at the NCAA Division I level. Then, just under a month later, Romagnoli changed plans and decommitted from West Virginia to commit to Quinnipiac University, where she currently just finished her freshman year on the track and field team.  

“Looking back at everything I went through and looking at where I am now, it’s crazy to think about,” she added with a smile. 

Romagnoli picked up her college track career right where she left off in high school. After an impressive freshman season, Romagnoli made the finals for the 400-meter dash at the New England championships and ultimately finished in seventh place in New England in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.94.

After two torn ACL’s, a brand new sport, and a canceled senior season, Romagnoli has overcome huge odds and in return, achieved huge success. 

“I’m still learning more about track since I’m still technically new to it,” she added. “My teammates and coaches have been nothing but supportive when I stepped foot on campus in the fall.”

Romagnoli’s fight has exemplified the type of athlete she is. When most would hang up the cleats and call it quits, she found a way to fulfill a dream she’s had, even when it seems nearly impossible. 

“I’m still finding my stride,” Romagnoli stated confidently.

A fan?

Follow your favorite teams