FULL SPEED AHEAD
Leveni ready for long season after recovery
STILLWATER – Headed down in a heap, Vili Leveni knew what was wrong before he ever crumpled to the turf.
Knew from experience. One of 74 defensive plays for Oklahoma State on a mild afternoon last November in Manhattan, Kan., it’s the play that stuck with Leveni as he worked to recover and finally return from a season-ending torn Achilles… for the second straight year.
“They snapped the ball, I got engaged with their tackle,” the Cowboys defensive lineman said, nodding with recollection of that game at Kansas State. “There was a tight end, too, and at first I thought that he clipped me. Then I fell to the ground, and by the time I hit the ground, I kind of already knew. I had that feeling again.
“I got back up, limped off the field. And from then on, I knew what it was.”
Official word came in the locker room upon examination from team medical personnel. But Leveni needed no confirmation.
“I didn’t need a doctor to tell me,” he said. “At that moment, I was already upset. It’s like a sickening feeling in your stomach.”
Leveni, one of the team’s most popular players, was upset and frustrated and even harboring some doubts about his future, having already labored through the long rehab process once.
Yet he was challenged, too, and that served as fuel for a push to return, not only to good health but to the Cowboys defense and a key spot in the rotation up front. After dropping some 30 pounds to aid the recovery, as well as a move from tackle to end, he’s back and bracing for a big senior season.
“I’m praying for it,” said linebacker Chad Whitener. “I want him to stay healthy, and I want him to excel.
“It just shows the kind of family he’s from, the fortitude he has and what he has built inside of him. I’m really happy he’s back. Missed him the second half of last year.”
The Cowboys missed Leveni all of the 2015 season, after he tore his left Achilles in summer workouts just before August practice were set to begin. Now he’s torn both Achilles — the fibrous cord that connects the muscles in the back of the calf to the heel bone — with his right snapping at Kansas State.
Following surgery to reattach the tendon, the recovery process is slow and deliberate.
“It’s a test, for sure,” Leveni said. “To be honest, going through it a second time, I had those doubts in my head. But I don’t see myself as someone who would quit. It would have to be something significant where the doc told me I couldn’t do anything at all.
“To me, it was extra motivation pushing me to come back. And here I am.”
This time, Leveni had extra help in the form of technology, thanks to OSU’s purchase of an AlterG machine, billed as an anti-gravity treadmill.
For people recovering from lower extremity injuries, the AlterG features an inflatable piece that fits around the waist and fills with air, reducing effective body weight and the impact of running significantly. In Leveni’s case, he began his workouts in the machine at 30 percent of his body weight, allowing him to run stress and pain free, and without hesitation. As he progressed, more of his body weight was put in play. Overall, it sped his recovery time by several weeks.
“I came back ahead of schedule, and I figure that machine had a lot to do with it,” said Leveni, who produced two sacks in nine games a year ago. “I did all my jumping in there, my running, everything.”
AlterG is becoming preferable to hydrotherapy treadmills, which can affect natural running patterns, due to the drag on the legs.
“We were able to get a little ahead of the game from a rehab standpoint, or what I call return to play,” said Rob Glass, OSU’s strength and conditioning director. “It enabled us to really expedite the second Achilles repair, because we’re able to get those muscles firing and working on his running gait, so he’s a smooth runner and doesn’t have a limp.
“So it allowed him to have a more positive experience in his return to play. He’s done really well. He’s such a good kid, and he’s resilient and tough. To keep coming back and battling through, the psychological side as much as anything, is impressive.”
Leveni has come this far, fast, in his return to play. Now he’s ready for the season.
A full season.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “This being my last one, everything’s on the line. I’ve just got to soak in every moment, every day, even the hard days, and enjoy everything with my guys out there.”