Madison Wiltrout has never been one to take a break, choosing to go from one sport to the next as quickly as possible.
The Connellsville Area standout soon will be in rest and recovery mode for several months, however, electing to have surgery June 30 on her elbow injured during the state meet at Shippensburg.
According to her mother, Amy, the 16-year-old’s right elbow was evaluated in the past several weeks by orthopedic specialists in Tennessee and Pittsburgh, with an MRI on June 2 discovering a tear in her ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). With the local physician recommending surgery over allowing the ligament to heal on its own, the decision was made to shelve plans to compete this month at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor and USATF Junior Nationals.
“We are geared (now) more toward next year,” Amy Wiltrout said of the prospects of Madison winning another state title and competing in the Olympic Trials. “It was a collective decision by all of us.”
On May 7 in the WPIAL Class AAA Central Qualifier at Norwin, Wiltrout provided the moment of the 2015 season, adding more than 4 feet to the national high school record. Her first and only throw of the competition traveled 185 feet, 8 inches, replacing Haley Crouser’s 181-2 from 2012 atop the all-time javelin list.
With her longest throws all coming during the final three meets of the season, Wiltrout now owns the two longest, three of the top 4 and five of the 15th farthest tosses ever nationally with a 600-gram javelin.
A junior in the fall, Wiltrout claimed her second state title last month at Shippensburg, improving by more than 30 feet on her winning toss from 2014 and breaking the state meet record in Class AAA by almost 25 feet at 182-8. She injured her elbow on her final preliminary throw as she lowered her arm in an attempt to work around blustery conditions that affected the throws on the first day of the meet.
These achievements came after she broke the state record in finishing second at 168-5 at the Penn Relays.
Wiltrout currently is pain free, with the only signs of an injured elbow being that the joint “kind of locks” on her occasionally, her mother said.
“We waited a week after states, didn’t throw (but) kept icing it,” Wiltrout’s mom said of Madison's activities post-Shippensburg that also included working on her javelin footwork.
Wiltrout's UCL was “torn enough” that the local specialist said surgical repair was the best option, with the out-of-state surgeon agreeing with the assessment. The thrower was told that the recovery will be difficult and lengthy, but her mother said it will be a process that Madison will embrace.
“She loves it, she thrives on it,” Madison’s mother said of her desire to compete and be active. “She’s never ever rested.”
In addition to the summer track season, Wiltrout will be skipping the upcoming basketball season to continue with her post-surgical rehab.
“That upset her more than anything,” Amy Wiltrout said of her daughter.
When Wiltrout does return to competition in 2016, she will have a brand new Miklos Nemeth javelin to break in.
Amy Wiltrout said her daughter's positive attitude and determination has already included the upcoming surgical recovery and rehabilitation, noting that Madison is "going to come back strong."
