KIAC Female Comeback Player of the Year
Berea, Ky. (May 14th, 2012) - The Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is proud to announce Tia Wineinger as the KIAC Female Comeback Player of the Year.
The Indiana University Southeast basketball player suffered an ACL tear during the second game of the 2010-11 season. It was the second major knee injury of her basketball career. She also suffered a similar injury in her left knee during her senior year of high school.
After her injury last November, Wineinger had surgery and began the rehabilitation process as she watched the remainder of the season from the sidelines. It was a season that saw the Grenadiers set a school record for wins and included a 16-game winning streak.
Wineinger had a decision to make. Did she want to return next season and complete her eligibility with IU Southeast?
"At first I didn't really know because I was done with school," she said. "But then I looked at it and I realized I never had a senior year of basketball and it was something I always wanted to do."
Her teammates provided support and encouragement. "I knew Megan (Murphy) and Ash (Ashmere Woods) wanted me to come back," she said.
Her surgery involved taking a portion of her patellar tendon from her left knee and using that to repair her ACL in her right knee, so she had to rehab both knees.
"It was not fun," she said. "I had to relearn how to bend my right knee. There was a machine moving my leg back and forth 24/7."
She also had to strengthen the muscles in her left leg again after being on bed rest for a week.
"Some days I didn't want to do it because it's painful and you have to do it three or four times a day. My dad helped me out a lot. He was always there pushing me."
Tia Wineinger persevered and made a successful return to the court during the 2011-12 season. She averaged 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. IU Southeast claimed their fourth straight KIAC Championship and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. As a result, she has been named the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Female Comeback Player of the Year.