Date Approved

2026

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

Health Promotion and Human Performance

First Advisor

Tony Moreno, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Andrew C. Cornett, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Ann R. Eisenberg, Ph.D.

Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries remain a significant concern in the sport of women’s lacrosse due to the amount of cutting and rapid deceleration movements in the sport. Non-contact ACL injuries in women’s lacrosse arise from complex interactions involving biomechanical, anatomical, and neuromuscular factors. Traditional ACL injury prevention programs (IPPs) often focus on strengthening and neuromuscular training in controlled environments with pre-planned movements, which may not adequately simulate the cognitive demands and unpredictability during a competition. An ecological dynamics approach is proposed that considers the athlete, the game environment, and the immediate task to emphasize the athlete-environment relationship. By incorporating decision-making demands, cognitive load, and unanticipated movements, new ACL IPPs can implement realistic, game-like demands and reduce ACL injury risk in athletes. This project aims to inspire future research into ecological dynamics and ACL injury prevention programs to develop more effective injury prevention strategies for women’s lacrosse players.

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