Charles Chaney
Student Sports Media
Selflessness often goes unnoticed. These people do things, despite their sometimes happiness or health for the betterment of others. For Jami Reichenberger, that means playing on a stress fracture in her right shin.
“Selfishly, I forget she’s injured back there,” Sophomore Centerback Emily Woods. “She doesn’t complain. She just wants the team to win.”
Reichenberger can been seen on campus when not on the pitch, lugging around a black boot on that right foot. Her sacrifice can be seen through her boot and through her play. She’s currently leading the Grizzlies to a No. 1 National Soccer Coaches Association of America ranking.
Reichenberger fractured her shin in mid-October, but that’s not going to stop her. There’s little to no hesitation in her voice as she spoke about playing through the injury.
“When I learned it was a stress fracture, I texted coach telling him I was going to play,” Reichenberger said.
A sophomore from Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita, She saw two other fractures at separate times, each on a different foot. She’s broken her hand playing goalkeeper before, this is nothing new.
“I definitely feel it when I’m out there,” Reichenberger said. “There’s a larger goal in mind right now.”
Reichenberger is putting the Butler Grizzlies soccer team ahead of her own health in hopes of a national championship.
“Even if this season wasn’t going the way we wanted, I’d still be out there,” Reichenberger said. “This team means too much to me.”
This season has been almost as good of a season for any goalie. Before giving up a goal against Johnson County on Wednesday, Oct. 12, it had been almost a month since Reichenberger had let a ball get past her.
“Watching her push through and not give up shows everyone she isn’t someone that will give up and no matter what,” Sophomore Midfielder Lexi Clark said. “She will give her all no matter the pain she is going through.”
While not on the soccer pitch, you can see Reichenberger mulling around campus in a black boot around her foot, providing some support for her fracture.
“It says a lot about her competitive nature and desire to play the game she loves,” Head Coach Adam Hunter said.
The sacrifice has paid off, as Reichenberger has allowed only one goal over the last month, the Grizzlies are soaring at the top of the national rankings.
“We’d never jeopardize her health,” Hunter said. “But if Jami sat and recovered, there might not be a season return to. She’s essential to our success.”
“I don’t know anyone tougher than Jami,” Woods said.
For Reichenberger, there will be some needed rest as she’ll rest the remainder of the season and get ready for the Region XI tournament, which began on Saturday, Oct. 29 against Dodge City. The sacrifice could be all worth it with the potential end goal awaiting her and the Grizzlies in Florida.
“I love this team, and I’d do anything for them,” Reichenberger said. “This is my family.”
