Career-threatening injury doesn't derail Harrison tennis senior

WEST LAFAYETTE — Harrison girls tennis senior Elliot Flanery is still undefeated with nine consecutive wins.

She's doing this after an accident nearly ruined her career.

Flanery remembers herself being in a euphoric state, bouncing on her family's trampoline in 2024 without a care in the world. She was jumping, smiling, giggling and autumn weather that was cooling but still warm enough to be outside and enjoying the fresh air.

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Flanery, a star doubles tennis player for Harrison, then attempted to do a backflip, a maneuver she had performed dozens of times before. She flipped but missed the platform completely. She fell onto solid ground and shattered her ankle.

She had torn tendons, and a lesion existed. An injury that put Flanery into a boot for several months, unsure if she'd ever be able to play tennis again.

"It was just a bit annoying because I could practice, but I couldn't play because of the lesion," Flanery said.

Harrison girls tennis senior Elliot Flanery is still playing in the 2026 season despite a near-career ending injury.

Flanery hasn't just recovered from her injury, but has become the leader on the court for Harrison. She has set the tone for the Raiders in 2026 after being a No. 2 doubles player in 2024.

"She works really hard and you can tell she's been playing for a long time," Harrison head coach Landon Waeltz said. "You can tell by the way she plays and the way she carries herself. I'm not really surprised with how well she's done. The way she carries herself tells you everything."

This story was written by Ethan Hanson before he left the Journal & Courier on May 3, but published after the fact. Those looking to contact the J&C sports staff can email sports@jconline.com.

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