STATESBORO, Ga. – It's not how redshirt junior Kelsey Corcoran would have drawn it up in the playbook.  The 6-foot-2 post player from Middletown, Virginia, came into preseason in tremendous shape and was fired up for the possibilities of how she could contribute this season.  

That dream disappeared in a heartbeat when Corcoran learned that she had a mitral valve prolapse, a severe heart complication that would force her away from the game she loves.

"I was in disbelief, and it's not what I wanted to hear," said Corcoran.  "I was just really upset because I lead an active lifestyle, and I didn't know what that would mean going forward."

What is scary is that it could have all gone undetected had it not been for the enhanced testing of student-athletes at Georgia Southern.

Georgia Southern Athletic training now requires that each student athlete undergo cardiovascular screening for underlying symptoms of Marfan Syndrome, sudden cardiac arrest, myocarditis, aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or any other underlying cardiac disorders in order to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

"The NCAA and NATA come out with guidelines for sports medicine departments and athletic trainers to ensure we are making the right recommendations, decisions and implementing the appropriate policies in the best interests of the student-athletes," commented Director of Sports Medicine Brandy Clouse. "In February of 2014, the NATA issued new recommendations on the pre-participation examination for student-athletes due to a rise in sudden death in athletes. The NATA recommends specific questions regarding the risk factors and symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease. Georgia Southern University has decided to make it their standard along with the specific questions because echocardiography remains the standard in detecting the diagnosis of the above mentioned conditions."

The recommended EKG is a solid start in detecting any heart abnormalities, but if an EKG comes back abnormal, the next step in the process is to conduct an echocardiogram.  Not content to do the bare minimum recommendation, the Georgia Southern Sports Medicine team brought in an outside company to perform echocardiograms on all student-athletes.

It was this enhanced test that just may have saved Corcoran's life.

"I came back the last week of November after being out for chronic headaches," recalls Corcoran.  "I was working out again and got to dress for a few games, which was incredible.  Then, as finals week was nearing its end, the entire team went in for our echocardiograms in the athletic training room.  I didn't think anything of it at the time.  The next thing I know I'm at practice, and our athletic trainer (Rachel Ploor) runs in and tells me to get off the court immediately.  She pulled me outside and said, 'Something is wrong with your heart.'  I wasn't allowed to do any more activity until they figured it out."

Corcoran and her family sought a second opinion with a cardiologist in Washington, D.C., and the results came back the same.  A mitral valve prolapse occurs when blood leaves one chamber of the heart to move to another chamber and the valve controlling the flow does not close all the way.  The blood, which typically travels in one direction, also flows backwards and builds up pressure in that atrium as a result.  

The prolapse could cause Corcoran to have heart failure if the pressure builds up too high, and the results could be catastrophic. The daily physical demands of a Division I basketball player could exacerbate the condition. 

"I feel terrible for Kelsey because I know what basketball meant for her," said Clouse.  "It's also very fortunate that we caught this.  The whole reason why we're doing this is to focus on athlete-centered medicine.  It is never an easy decision to medically disqualify someone, but we do what is in the student-athlete's best interest."

These days, Corcoran wears a wrist and chest heart rate monitor to ensure that she is keeping her heart rate in a safe zone at all times.  She must keep it below 160.  That's tough for a girl who is extremely active and aspires to be a strength and conditioning coach at the college level.

After learning that she would no longer be able to compete in the sport she loves, Corcoran turned her focus to determining if surgery was imminent.  The doctors in Washington, D.C., referred her to specialists out of Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.  After more tests, including a five-day Holter Monitoring Test, Corcoran received the first bit of good news - surgery was not needed immediately.

"Since I am so young, they didn't want to jump in too quickly with surgery since I wasn't experiencing a lot of the other symptoms and complications associated with my condition," said Corcoran.  "Usually you see this in people who are much older.  The level of leakage I have [when the mitral valve does not close properly] is considered medium to high. When it is consistently high is when I'll need to have surgery."

As for her role on the team, women's basketball coach Chris Vozab feels the loss.  "We've tried to really figure out what would be the best way to handle it," she said.  "Even though she didn't get the minutes she would have liked last year, every single teammate and every coach noticed what she meant to our team with the intangibles that she brought.  There was an energy about her that spread throughout the entire team and meant so much."

Corcoran is still very much a part of the team and regularly checks in at practices to encourage the girls.  She is also on the bench for all home games and completes the same academic requirements that all other student-athletes do. She will be recognized and honored during the Senior Day ceremony prior to Georgia Southern's game against South Alabama Saturday on ESPN3. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m., and the Senior Day ceremony is expected to begin around 4:20 p.m.

"My teammates and coaches have been great, and we've all grown a lot through this," said Corcoran.  "They just want me to be happy, and they know that I've been through a lot.  Since I can't play basketball anymore, they are supportive of me completing an internship with the strength and conditioning coaches here and working to get my career started."

After interning with the strength and conditioning coaches this semester, Corcoran is excited about continuing her education in graduate school and pursuing a career in the field.

A reflective Corcoran concluded, "If it wasn't for Brandy and testing everybody at that higher level, I might not be here right now.  I'm so thankful for Brandy – she's an expert who is very thorough and wants the very best for her student-athletes.  She cares about us and is so invested in us. That echocardiogram saved me."  

Georgia Southern has now completed echocardiograms on all of its student-athletes and will move into a two-year rotation where athletes are tested at the beginning of their freshman and junior years.  Testing will also occur for all newcomers who may transfer in.  

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.