When Capri DeCaro’s junior season of track & field began last year, she had no idea where the sport would take her.

A dual-sport athlete at Hempfield Area playing both basketball and track & field, DeCaro surprised herself with how well she performed last spring. The success she experienced led schools to pay close attention to her, with Ohio, Akron, Youngstown State and Duquesne all pursuing the track star.

Ultimately, DeCaro chose to stay close to home, but not too close to home, by signing with Duquesne.

“I chose Duquesne because I love the city, I met the coaches and they were great, and it’s far enough away from home where it’s not right in Greensburg," DeCaro explained. "But it’s also close enough that if there is an emergency your parents are right there."

“(Competing in college) was not something I thought about. I did not expect to do as good as I did. I knew that triple jump was one of my better events, but then I kept getting better and better.”

“My coach started talking to me saying: ‘you’re doing really well, do you think you want to continue this in college? ‘and at first I wasn’t sure because I had never planned on it. But then I qualified for states and got second in the WPIAL and I felt that it would be cool to keep doing this and keep doing well.”

Her impressive season was capped off by placing sixth in the PIAA in the triple jump with a leap of 37 feet, 4.5 inches. She also placed first in the annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet.

But, despite all of the success she was having, she would eventually run into a setback.

A torn ACL led to an off-season of recovery which forced her to miss her entire senior year of basketball this year. Although she couldn't take the floor with her teammates, she was still able to stay involved and was able to partake in this year’s senior night festivities.

“It’s definitely hard because I love basketball and an ACL injury is one of the worst,” DeCaro revealed. “But I was still there and part of the team. On senior night I got to go on the court and hit a shot, so that kept me going. I wanted to try and get back for one game but you shouldn’t risk it considering my future is in track not basketball.”

The road to recovery has been a long one for DeCaro, but it’s quickly coming to an end. Her surgery was in September, and she’s been working hard on the rehab for her knee as the track season approaches. Slowly but surely, DeCaro has been able to progress herself back to almost full health and is hopeful that she can start the track season on time.

“I had surgery in September, and you have to work on bending your knee right after surgery so that’s what I started with,” said DeCaro. “It slowly got into mobility and elliptical work, and now I’m progressing into running. Starting in mid-March I’ll start jumping and I hope to be back on the track by the end of March.”

DeCaro has not only learned about the recovery process during her injury, but she’s also developed a new mindset. Since she was unable to compete on the basketball court this year, she’s found a deeper appreciation for playing sports. The injury has also showed her that at any moment your athletic career can take a turn and to be grateful for the opportunity to compete.

She also noted that it’s forced her to look at each meet as if it’s her last, which has fueled her desire to go as hard as she possibly can in each event.

“It makes you think play every game like it’s your last,” she said. “It’s hard to think but you just have to go out there and do your best because you never know. Tearing your ACL can end it or give you a big setback.”

With her senior season of track right around the corner, DeCaro is aware of the other work she has ahead of her before she arrives at Duquesne. After the season, she plans on continuing her workout regimen and focusing on her strength and mobility as an athlete. With her recovery process almost behind her, DeCaro can soon get back to another familiar place that she would call home, the track.

“I want to work on speed, agility, lifting more. I want to work with the new coaches, I’m excited to have new teammates and build the bond with them and new roommates.”