After spinal injury, Cardinal Mooney runner Stella Behnan breaks school record
After suffering a sacral fracture last year, Behnan overcame a long recovery. Now, she's in the midst of a record-setting season for Cardinal Mooney.
MARINE CITY — Upon learning the diagnosis, Stella Behnan was overcome with uncertainty. Last summer, before the MHSAA girls cross country season, the Cardinal Mooney High School senior suffered a sacral fracture at the base of her spine that put her athletic career in jeopardy. "I was out the whole season," Behnan said.
"It's really crazy. Because you don't expect — that's a very unusual place to get a fracture. It was definitely serious.
I had to take three months off. " Those months were some of the longest for Behnan, as doubt regularly entered her mind. Would she also miss the upcoming track and field season?
There were school records she wanted to break. "She didn't know if she was even going to be able to compete again," Cardinal Mooney coach Matt Zammit said. "She had some hard moments.