Feature Friday: Driven Niven

Niven Hegeman was primed for a breakout senior year in 2019. The Mountain Ridge High School product steadily progressed into one of Maryland’s toughest defenders through her first three seasons with the Terrapins and would be a key piece in head coach Ray Leone’s defense as the team kicked off its season that August. 

But as promising as the season had started for the Frostburg, Maryland, native, her senior campaign took a harrowing turn before Maryland had even finished its second game of 2019. 

When Hegeman went down to the ground in pain on August 25, 2019, after putting pressure on a New Jersey Institute of Technology player and couldn’t immediately get back up to her feet, she knew she had suffered a severe injury.

A test on Hegeman’s knee confirmed a torn ACL, which didn’t surprise Hegeman in the slightest. 

“As soon as I tore my ACL, I kind of knew that's what it was.”

After losing by a combined 9-0 to Auburn and Georgia in their first two games without Hegeman, the Terps rebounded to finish 9-8-3 (5-5-1), which was good for sixth in the Big Ten and the program’s first-ever trip to the conference tournament.

Leone gave credit to Hegeman for helping keep the young Terps prepared and competitive in her absence.

“One of the biggest credits to give Niven is how engaged she was to help her team even though she was recovering from the injury,” said Leone. “That can be really tough to do, but she stayed engaged the whole season, and supported her teammates through everything.” 

Despite not being able to contribute, Hegeman was still appreciative of the success that her team was able to achieve a year ago. After winning just four conference games in her first three seasons at Maryland, watching her teammates achieve a 5-5-1 mark in the Big Ten gave the senior a tremendous source of pride.

“Honestly that was one of the most heartwarming and rewarding feelings even though I wasn’t on the field with everybody,” Hegeman explained. “Just seeing the growth in the team from my freshman year up until now is just amazing because I was one of the few remaining players last year during Ray’s first season with us. Just to see the growth in the team and the program from then until now is just incredible.” 

The highlight moment of Hegeman’s season on the sideline was easily the team’s 1-0 win at Michigan State on October 24, mainly because it brought back a wave of nostalgia from her freshman season. 

“Towards the end of the game whenever I had a feeling we were going to win it took me back to my freshman year when we played Michigan State … we played our hearts out that game and we ended up losing in OT so it was just amazing to beat Michigan State, make history, make the Big Ten Tournament at their field just in the span of four years.”

Once the season ended, Hegeman’s focus turned towards rehabbing her knee. She was cleared to begin running in mid-January. Then, at the beginning of March, she received clearance for non-contact activities. 

When the COVID-19 hit in mid-March, out went Hegeman’s ability to work in-person with her trainers during the rehab process.

However, because she had been cleared for non-contact activities and wouldn’t receive clearance for full-contact activities until August, the shutdown wasn’t too much of a hindrance to her.

“COVID-19 was definitely an interruption in the process but it honestly didn’t come at that bad of a time. It came at a time where I could do a lot of things on my own,” Hegeman said. “At that point, it was just more so trying to get back in shape and continuing to build the muscle around my knee and everything so I didn’t really need my trainers at that point, which was nice because obviously, I couldn't work out with them or anything.”

Although Hegeman had begun leaning towards returning for the 2020 season on the night that she tore her ACL, she said that her decision to return to the program for her fifth season was sealed once the Terps clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

“What really pushed me to want to come back was after our team made the Big Ten Tournament,” said Hegeman. “That was just super exciting and I was just super proud of my team and that was just something that I wanted to be a part of on the field with them so that was a big push for me.”

Hegeman hasn’t missed a beat in her return to practice with the Terps this fall, challenging teammates for 50-50 balls and selling out for stops and blocks on the training ground. She traces the drive and relentless spirit that made her into one of Maryland’s top defensive stalwarts back to her days roughhousing with her two older sisters and her father’s constant encouragement to play hard when she was younger. 

“I’ve always been kind of known for just being a tank on the field, I guess. That’s just always been the player that I’ve been.”

Coach Leone is also looking forward to Hegeman returning for a second chance at a full senior season in the spring.

“She wants to complete her career at Maryland and go out on her terms,” said Leone. “So I’m really excited for her to get back on the field and have the chance to compete.”

If the season had started in August as it usually does, Hegeman likely would have missed the first few games of the season. However, the decision by the NCAA to postpone the soccer season to the spring of 2021 might give Hegeman a chance to play a full senior season.

“It’s honestly a blessing in disguise in a way because it gives me a longer time to build my game back up and get back in shape and really build my chemistry back with the team,” she said.

When Hegeman steps on the field for her first game in the spring, she might still be wearing her knee brace, which has served as a source of inspiration throughout the recovery of her injury.

”My brace helps remind me all that I did to get back to this point and to not take playing for granted because you never know what is going to happen day-to-day, not only on the field but in life as well,” said Hegeman “So, I look at my brace as more of an appreciation to be on the field and to be playing again.”

Nevertheless, brace or no-brace, Hegeman doesn’t plan on her knee injury preventing her from being the same tank on the soccer field that she’s been all her life. 

“In these last few practices, my aggressiveness and competitiveness are still right where they were.”