Maghen Lormand is one of the All-American athletes here at St. Thomas. She spent a total of five years completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and finishing out her four years of athletic eligibility. Now, Maghen resides back in Houston, working for accounting software company XERO where she is a regional sales account manager.

Lormand's journey at UST took an unpredictable turn. During her Junior year, she suffered an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury, bringing her season to a halt for the foreseeable future. Without the help of our incredible athletic training staff, Maghen said she would not have been capable of what she then went on to accomplish on the basketball court. "If it wasn't for the athletic training staff, I would have totally given up. I trusted the training team, and this gave me the confidence that my injury was not career-ending, like I initially thought it might have been."

From Having a “Tired” Body to “Feeling Invincible”

Another unique detail about Maghen's journey is that she had the privilege of playing for two of our head coaches. First, our former head coach Mike Ricks, followed by our current head coach Jae Cross. When she sat down for the first time to meet Jae Cross she said the conversation went a little like this: "Jae told me I had at least two more years in me and I looked at her and said, 'we'll see about that'. If I decided to play another year then I was looking at being a 23-year-old, playing with younger girls. My body was tired, I didn't think I could take any more. Honestly, Coach Cross made me fall in love with the game again. She revitalized the program and the last two years were my best years yet. I felt invincible, I was doing things I never thought I could do."

Turns out Jae was right. Maghen then went on to play two more years of St. Thomas basketball, playing for UST's best women's basketball team yet.

Tough Transition from College Athlete to Non-Sports Working Professional

Another important topic I'd like to touch on that Maghen shared with me is the transition from being a college-athlete to being a working professional - sports out of the picture.

Maghen explained,"It's so hard and no one prepares you for it. I boycotted working out for so long. You finally have the freedom to do whatever you want, and you don't have to listen to a coach telling you to go to practice or to eat right. I started creating bad habits, especially when COVID hit. I'm still not content with where I am now, but I will say that having a good support system is key. I'm learning to love myself and who I am now, outside of sports. I'm learning to be okay with who I am, and being able to talk about it definitely helps."

Coming to Terms with the Real World

Many student athletes struggle with the transition into "the real world", because for a long time sports is all we've ever known. Maghen added, "It's difficult, but coming to terms with the fact that I served my purpose as an athlete is helping me a lot. I'm finding a new healthy balance. I would recommend giving yourself a fair amount of time after graduation to grieve, heal, and then find your new motivation."

UST has changed substantially over the years, this we all know. "St. Thomas has a special place in my heart, this school made me into the person I am today. I saw the school grow up while I was growing up. I made strides academically and athletically. It's so great seeing how much UST has grown," Maghen shared.

Maghen's Advice

Maghen's advice to current and former student athletes is this, "Be where your feet are. Be present, work hard, and trust the process."