Softball players devoted to sport despite injuries
Carissa Conroy and Brittany Loisel endured 10 surgeries between them

By Hasim Phillips and Karen Ayres Smith

Carissa Conroy and Brittany Loisel endured 10 surgeries between them while on the Rutgers softball team, but both women stuck with their sport until the very end of their undergraduate careers.

Conroy was already a well-known pitcher from Richmond, Virginia, when she joined the team in 2006. She first underwent wrist surgery for swelling caused by overuse as a first-year student. After intense pain continued to shoot through her shoulder, she underwent an unusual shoulder surgery that involved removing a rib to alleviate her pain.

The longtime athlete was determined to return as a pitcher during her sophomore and junior years, but she was sidelined both seasons by further injuries and medical procedures. With all signs pointing to retirement, Conroy returned her senior year – this time she opted not to pitch but to help out as a pinch hitter.

“The coaches gave me the option to not come back and help out more as an assistant, but they made such an effort to say that I was the glue of the team and that the team needed me more than I realized, mentally and emotionally,” Conroy said. “I felt obligated, and it was my job as a teammate to be there for them.”

In the meantime, Conroy made use of her time off the field, becoming a “team mom and mental motivator” for her teammates.

“This experience really taught me character,” Conroy said. “I’m totally fine with people not remembering me for my softball talent, because softball will not do anything for me down the road; it’s more about the character you create in this environment that will help you succeed in life.”

Conroy’s teammate, Loisel, was named Rookie of the Year after an outstanding first-year season, before she took a pitch square in the face during a scrimmage in the fall of 2006, breaking her nose in four places.

After undergoing surgery, she returned to the team just four weeks later. But she broke her nose a second time while sliding into second base and eventually underwent five procedures to help correct functional and aesthetic problems. After suffering a third broken nose during her junior year, Loisel stopped playing on her doctor’s advice. But she stayed on as a student-assistant coach.

“You get a very different perspective,” Loisel said. “I see my friends, these girls that I’ve been with for the last four years and have really become like family to me; I see them playing, and I feel a completely different sense of pride when I see them succeed as a team and individually. It’s a very different feeling than when you’re on the field.”

Loisel also served on the Rutgers Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a group that addresses issues that affect student-athletes. She eventually represented the Big East Conference on the National SAAC and served on several NCAA committees.

Her participation rekindled a deep passion for athletics and helping other athletes. After graduation, Loisel plans to work for The Corporate Playbook, a company that helps student-athletes connect with the business world and make a transition after their athletic careers are over.

“It’s definitely been a roller coaster emotionally and physically,” Loisel said. “But I think in the end, it’s been a positive experience. There is that old saying that ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.’ I think I’ve really been able to find out who I am as a person and not as a player, and I think I really needed that.”