Team USA attacker Michelle Tumolo was tested in 2013.

The All-American Syracuse senior narrowly missed the cut for Team USA as it prepared for the 2013 FIL World Cup. Coach Ricky Fried and his staff carried four attackers, and Tumolo was one of the final cuts.

“If you’re any bit competitive, it’s going to fuel the fire a little bit,” she said.

Tumolo returned to Syracuse for her senior season, playing on a team that included Alyssa Murray and Kayla Treanor. She was determined to end her college career on a good note.

Syracuse was on its way to a blowout win over Cornell on April 13, when Tumolo fell to the ground at the Carrier Dome, tearing her ACL in her left knee. Her college career was essentially over and her future in lacrosse was uncertain.

She had surgery in August of 2013, and began the rehab process as soon as he could She was confident she could make it back to Team USA. As if she needed more motivation.

“This is not the end of my career,” she said she told herself. “I had to think about my future and trying out for the U.S. team again.”

Tumolo set her mind to rehabbing her injured knee and becoming stronger than she was during her Syracuse days.

Validation came this winter when Tumolo was named as a member of the 18-player U.S. Women’s National Team that will compete in the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women’s World Cup, July 12-22 in Guildford, England. She didn’t make the roster in 2013, but four years and a torn ACL recovery later, Tumolo will be one of Team USA’s leaders on offense this summer.

“It’s adversity, but you have to come back,” she said. “I’m so lucky that I’m one of the four attackers still around and I can’t wait to be out there and have USA on my chest, listen to the anthem with my teammates and get out there. …  I feel better than I did even before I tore my ACL, if that even makes sense. I feel so confident.”

Fried said he’s proud that Tumolo committed herself to coming back strong for 2017.

“You love it when these things work out and you’re rewarded for those things,” Fried said. “She earned that.”

Rehabbing was a daily challenge. Tumolo, who moved to Florida to coach the Gators in 2013, went to a rehabilitation facility on campus up to four times a week. Sometimes, the exercises were painful, to the point where she’d leave the facility in tears. But she continued to work at it.

Often, Tumolo got support from teammates and friends, like Kelly Rabil, who had three previous knee surgeries.

“Hearing about [the injury] happening, for any athlete, when you are part of the ACL club, you want to reach out to them,” Rabil said. “You want them to know that you are not alone. I reached out to Michelle early on. She had a really good attitude, but I just reminded her to keep that positive attitude, because that would make the process that much easier.”

Tumolo kept up her rehab through her two-year stint with Florida, and then joined the Syracuse program she led from 2010-13, as an assistant. There, she practiced with coach Gary Gait.

By that time, Tumolo started to feel like herself again — possibly even better. She began to set her sights on the World Cup, participating in tryouts last summer, the Team USA Fall Classic in October and Spring Premiere in January of this year.

“My goal really was just to come back and be better than I was before,” Tumolo said. “It’s tough because it is a mental thing.”

She had to overcome a few demons along the way, like when she thought she re-tore the ACL, only to find out it was just scar tissue.

However, she’s as confident in her game as she’s ever been entering this summer. Not to mention, she’s one of Team USA’s leaders, on and off the field, where she’s built a fun reputation.

“We have put our trust in her as the voice of the offense,” Fried said. “It’s her work ethic and her ability to fight through certain things, both physically and mentally, that got her to where she is today.”

As for Tumolo, she’s just excited to bring some “swagger” to Team USA.

“I like to make plays and feed the ball, so as long as I’m putting the ball in their sticks, I’m doing my job,” she said. “Being myself and having the energy that I know I can bring to the game. I’m a fun player and teammate and I want to bring that to the team. Bring that Michelle Tumolo energy.”