Overcoming adversity to start training

As the women's cross country team practices, senior Stephanie Magley can only watch. \nShe attends the practices, but only to help time the other athletes. She said she wishes she could be out there running, but for now, she will have to wait.\nThis was going to be Magley's senior year as a member of the cross country and track teams. A car crash with a semi changed all that. \nShe said she's lucky to be alive. Magley remembers nothing from the crash. She can only see what happened from the pictures of the scene.\n"I don't know how I got out of the car. I told the paramedics information about me, but I don't remember it now," Magley said.\nMagley sustained serious injuries. She fractured her ankle, fractured her pelvis in three spots, hurt her liver, had a collapsed lung, a cut on her head and severed the main artery and nerve in her left arm. \nThat injury was the most severe, resulting in the loss of four pints of blood. Magley was rushed to the hospital where she went through seven hours of surgery. A nerve was taken from her leg to repair the damaged one in her arm.\nAll of that is in the past for Magley now as she looks to the future. She has been through rehab for her injuries and teaching her muscles how to move again. She can now straighten her left arm, which she was unable to do at the beginning of the year. \nThrough all of this, Magley has remained upbeat.\n"What happened was meant to happen, and I can't change that," Magley said. "I can't be bitter. There was no question in my mind that I would recover so I had to be positive."\n Fellow teammate and senior Erin Womble said Magley's outlook is an inspiration.\n "It's been hard without her because she should be here," Womble said. "But she won't let us see her down. She can definitely handle this. I don't know another person stronger."\nCoach Judy Bogenschutz said she agrees.\n"It's the way she has handled it that inspires the team. She has such a great attitude," Bogenschutz said.\nMagley is looking ahead to next year. She is able to cross train on stationary bikes. She said she wants to be back to where she was before she was injured.\n"I was really happy with where I was. If I couldn't run again, I would be satisfied with my times from last year. I would be satisfied, but not content," Magley said.\nMagley has set her goals high for next year. She would like to win the Big Ten in either the 800 meters or 1500 meters. She wants to be in the top three on the the cross country team that will run at nationals. \nDespite the hardships, Magley said things are better this way.\n"I love being in school and running. I'll be in school for a fifth year," she said. "I'm getting a second major. I'm so blessed with talents that I want to use again. My life is better off, and I'm alive"