T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News
A car crash back on June 4, 2021, sent Kaylah Crosson “KC” and her older sister on flight-for-life to Colorado Springs. The ultra-competitive preteen heading into her freshmen year, with a bright volleyball and basketball future, was suddenly faced with the possibility of losing her ability to do what she loved most — proving she was the absolute best on the court.
A compound bone fracture in her right arm may have taken her summer competition and knocked her development back, but it wasn’t enough to break the inner warrior who craved nothing more than taking her rightful place at the top. Through the hardships of physical therapy and training, the trials of mental anguish and a drastic humbling, she pushed through, never stopping, persevering through adversity and four years after her accident, she was voted the 2025 Chronicle-News Athlete of the Year.
“I’m just incredibly proud of her and I can’t believe how far she’s come and how much she’s had to overcome. She’s done it with such strength and diligence,” Nicia Crosson, KC’s mother, said. “She has faced a lot of hardship and got through it. It’s just been a beautiful thing to watch.”
Her father, Geoff Crosson, said, “Knowing that she persevered through all of that is absolutely amazing because the kid plays with pain daily and especially in volleyball, every time she swung the ball, it hurt her arm (even in her senior year).”
KC, not one to accept defeat, continued striving for her goals, still joining her teammates at practices, anything she could to improve and grow, because there was one thing she had on her mind that she wouldn’t, or couldn’t relinquish — the sheer will to prove that she was the best.
“I was really struggling mentally after (the accident) because summer is my life,” KC said. “I love doing my summer sports… especially because I knew my teammates were able to get in extra work and [going] to the tournaments… It was something that I loved, during basketball, like the most. It was my favorite. So, knowing I couldn’t [participate] in those was really discouraging… I would go (to practices) because I didn’t want to miss out on what everyone else was learning.”
KC’s dad explained that one day, he got a video from KC’s coach of her joining her team in drills, dribbling with her left hand while the other arm stood frozen, clutched in place by her brace and sling.
He said, “She was on a traveling basketball team when the accident happened and she still wanted to go to practice… I got a video from her coach of her just dribbling left-handed. She had this cast on her right arm. She’s always been a very strong and determined girl. She would never let anyone know about how pain she was in and how much she had to go through, physically, mentally, to get to where she’s at.”
The road to recovery was difficult, long, and daunting, with intense hours of physical therapy, chiropractic care and more.
“I worked out and I did a lot of physical therapy, just trying to get myself better. It’s still really discouraging because I still have pain and numbness ever since I had my accident… There are times when I can’t feel my arm, or I have shooting pain. Sometimes, I feel like I shouldn’t keep going because I don’t want a lifelong issue. But I can’t part with volleyball… My main goal was to [improve] and I didn’t [dwell] on the bad. I focused on what could come of it — I wanted to be able to tell people, ‘Yeah, I broke my arm. I snapped my bone. And I still came back and beat you.’”
In KC’s sophomore year, she became the starting middle for her volleyball team. She said, “I became the starting middle, sophomore year on. I just knew that if anyone on the court was better than me, I wanted to beat them and be the best — especially in volleyball.”
“She’s done so much training outside of (physical) therapy to get to where she is and overcome all of those things, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and to excel— It’s just incredible,” Nicia said.
Forged in fire
Back in 2007, at just four months old, doctors told KC’s parents that she wasn’t going to live much longer, gaining only a single pound since being born, warning the weary mother and father to be prepared to bury their infant daughter.
But from that moment, her parents watched her survive and thrive, knowing they had a special child — one with the will to overcome, one born with a life journey meant to rise above adversity and meet any challenge.
“She’s an overcomer and since the time she was born, she’s been a fighter,” Nicia said. “We were told we were going to lose her when she was four months old. We were told she would not live to see her first birthday. And so, this kid had been a fighter since day one and she’s just an incredible young lady.”
Raised as the youngest sibling of four, KC had much to prove and competition was fierce, but for her, it was only training to overcome future challenges.
Geoff said, “She’s the youngest of four, and so she’s always been determined to prove herself — she has that fight, that killer instinct. It was fun seeing it all come together, especially this year and being her dad, knowing how much she’s gone through to get to this point and how much she’s worked to get there, I can’t even explain how proud I am.”
A look ahead
KC committed to attending and playing volleyball at Trinidad State College, opting not to pursue basketball further, citing the need to excel at one sport rather than being good at two.
“She’s just truly an exceptional young woman, and I’m excited to see what the future has in store for her. We shall see where the future takes her, but it’s an honor to be her mother,” Nicia said.
“People don’t realize the impact that they can have on your life and how much they can push you without them even knowing,” KC said, recognizing those, such as her coach and parents, who have supported and motivated her. “People don’t realize the impact they could have on your life just by being there, and that people should try their best to be there for [others], they love and care about and support them because they could change your life.”
