Senior Forward Returns from ACL Surgery

As a sophomore, Michele Gage was the impact player for Columbia’s women’s basketball team.

During the 2005-2006 season she averaged 6.7 rebounds per game and finished second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points a night. Heading into 2006-2007, she was seen as arguably the most promising player on the roster, poised for a breakout season that could help the Lions improve upon their 6-21 record.

But her plans would take a drastic detour before the start of last season.

Gage suffered a tear in her ACL, forcing her to sit out all of her junior year and watch as her team continued to struggle to a 8-20 mark overall with only four Ivy League wins.
During the offseason, Gage worked tirelessly to rehab from the injury and work her way back into playing shape. Her efforts paid off when she was named captain on this year’s team.

Gage also had to adjust to a new role as the coaching staff sought to bolster the talent in team’s front-court presence. Sophomore forward Chelsea Frazier and freshman center Lauren Dwyer now highlight the team’s offense, which has become more geared to half court sets that feature the two scoring in the paint. Yet Gage still averages 9.4 points a game, good for fourth on the team. She also sees a heavy dose of playing time, logging nearly 31 minutes per contest.

Early on in the season, Gage found that she had to adjust her game after such a major injury. Before the injury, she felt she was able to “perform to my ability” every night. During the first few games, new teammates picked up her scoring slack. “I still don’t quite think I did that,” she said, referencing to the adjustments she was forced to make in her game.

As a senior, she is now looked upon to demonstrate poise and experience for her younger teammates. She seems to be adjusting well, as her role “didn’t feel different” from her play from two years ago. She is content with “not necessarily being the high scorer” night in and night out, with her new teammates providing more balanced scoring on the stat sheet.

Forgoing individual stats for her team’s success is her primary concern. “I try to do what I have to do to get a W,” she said.

Now that Gage and her new teammates have played significant minutes on the floor together, they have seen improved results. In years past, conference wins for the Lions were few and far in between. This year, with Frazier, Dwyer, and Gage leading the team, Columbia has posted a 2-2 record thus far in Ivy play, a game behind Dartmouth, Harvard, and Cornell, who are in a three-way tie for first place. The team will look to improve on its solid play in conference thus far, with its sights set on an Ivy League crown.

If the Lions do indeed reach this lofty goal, they will have Gage and her resilient comeback from surgery to thank.