By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2022 college football season turned in an instant for Washburn University tight end Trey Pivarnik.
Trey Pivarnik
Pivarnik, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior, went from thinking he had scored his first college touchdown against rival Emporia State to embarking on a long road back from a serious ankle injury.
After hauling in a pass from Kellen Simoncic, the former Hayden standout thought he got in the end zone against the Hornets, but in rapid fire order, the official ruled that Pivarnik was stopped outside the end zone and a second or so later he began to feel extreme pain.
After a long recovery from a serious ankle injury, Hayden product Trey Pivarnik is looking to have a big junior season for Washburn. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"I did think I scored and that's why I stood up and when I stood up I felt my ankle dislocated and I thought, 'Oh shoot, something's not right.' '' Pivarnik said. "I was so excited, thinking that I had scored and wanted to stand up and celebrate with my teammates and that wasn't going to happen.
"I tore all the ligaments in my ankle and dislocated my peroneal tendon and actually dislocated my ankle on impact.''
Pivarnik suffered another setback midway through his recovery.
"I originally rehabbed for four months, went through all of that and started getting ready for spring ball and started running routes and had a couple of pops,'' Pivarnik said. "I got re-evaluated again and they found out that my tendon had not located yet and I had a couple of ligaments that still needed to be tightened up so I had to get surgery during spring ball.''
The good news is that Pivarnik has made major strides and was back on the field for the start of WU's fall camp on Monday and soon expects to be at full strength.
"My recovery's going really good. I'm going to be (100 percent),'' he said.
Pivarnik, who has nine career receptions for 62 yards, has made some other changes to get ready for '23, including a number change.
Pivarnik wore the No. 85 jersey last fall but will wear No. 0 this season, a number that carries significance for Pivarnik in terms of where he's been and where he wants to go.
"I just thought about switching it up a little bit and was injured last year so I just wanted to come into the season with something new,'' he said. "Last year I didn't have the year I wanted to obviously, getting injured Game 5, so I'm kind of coming from nothing and I have a lot to prove. It's new beginnings.''
Washburn coach Craig Schurig said Pivarnik has set a great example for other players in how to deal with disappointment.
"His mental toughness is awesome,'' Schurig said. "Like anyone, he was down for a little bit, but then, man, he just attacked it. He had the surgery, bounced back from a little relapse and he's made himself into a bigger, faster player.
"He's on the verge of being one of the top players at his position in the conference and now we've just got to be patient, but his toughness and attitude are off the charts.''
Pivarnik said that after his long recovery process he's more motivated than ever to be back on the field.
"It's very hard, but you have so many guys on the team to pick you up and help you get to weights even when you're in a boot, and you just try to better yourself every day and keep moving forward,'' Pivarnik said. "I've had an almost seven-month-long recovery now and I've really had to lean on lots of teammates for help and some motivation during this recovery to get healthy again.
"Getting last year taken away from me and being basically a quarter away from getting my medical redshirt last year kind of opened up my eyes how much things can be taken away from you and just the way life can be sometimes, so I feel very motivated and prepared for this year. I'm excited.''
