Standing in a line on the baseline at Koch Arena, Carli McCloud, a Wichita State sophomore majoring in exercise science, is inconspicuous next to the rest of the WSU spirit squad.
There’s no way to tell that five years ago McCloud was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans, a degenerative joint disorder in her left elbow. McCloud, a North Newton native, was a superb gymnast at the time and had just won the Kansas all-around state title, but doctors told her that she no longer had a future in athletics.
Tuesday’s women’s basketball game at Koch Arena was by all accounts a perfectly normal event, but to McCloud, it represented a personal triumph.