Rachel Blount: Brush with death makes success in NCAAs better yet

Wendy Davis ditched the cane Sunday, walking without assistance for the first time since a serious accident severed two blood vessels in her right leg. The Gophers rowing coach still had plenty of support, though, from the people who had held her steady the past two weeks.

Her rival coaches helped save her leg -- and possibly her life -- after she crashed her bike during the South/Central Region sprints on May 12. Her staff kept the Gophers on schedule as they prepared for their first team appearance at the NCAA championships. Davis' athletes provided the best medicine of all, finishing sixth overall at the NCAAs to conclude the most emotional spring in this young program's history.

The Gophers' second varsity eight boat won a national title Sunday on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the same place where Davis lay dazed and bleeding profusely after a brake handle on her bike penetrated 4 to 5 inches into her leg.

Her recovery added an extra layer of gratitude to a season already rich in accomplishment. Monday, as Davis reflected on it all, she vouched for the theory that nothing aids the healing process like walking on air.

"It's been very heartwarming," said Davis, the Big Ten and Central Region coach of the year. "It reminded me of what a wonderful community our coaches are. All the encouragement, the e-mails, all the people coming up to me at the NCAAs, it's been great. And what a year for our program."

After moving into their new boathouse on the Mississippi River last winter, the Gophers won their first Big Ten title with a conference-record 150 points and victories in four of six races. They traveled to Tennessee hoping a strong showing at the South/Central Region regatta would propel them to the 12-team NCAA championships.

Rowing coaches typically follow their teams' races by riding bikes along the water's edge. As Davis monitored a Gophers' semifinal, her bike struck a post along the path, throwing her to the ground on top of the handlebars. Her fellow coaches, seeing her thigh impaled on a brake handle, immediately went to work.

"Rowing coaches are all first responders, since we don't have athletic trainers on the course," Davis said. "The Michigan State coach pulled my leg off the bike. A graduate assistant from Iowa put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. The other coaches were talking to me and offering encouragement so I would stay awake. I had surgery that night, and the doctor said it missed the femoral artery by about a millimeter."

Surgeons closed off a secondary artery and vein that were badly damaged. Davis remained in the hospital for four days, but unable to suppress her type-A personality, she managed to get released a day earlier than expected and resumed coaching immediately.

She couldn't get more than three sentences out of her mouth before feeling faint. Her assistants, led by John Flynn and Libby Sharrow, stepped into the breach.

"Once we knew [Davis] was going to be OK, it became, 'How do we adjust?"' said Kit Casey, a member of the second varsity eight crew. "We were concerned because she couldn't come home with us and start training for the NCAAs. But the coaching staff does a really good job putting together detailed schedules for us, and we have a great work ethic. We were ready to do anything to make a mark and show Minnesota was not a fluke."

Casey set the tone for the weekend with a stirring all-for-one, one-for-all speech. Her boat, dominant all season, demolished the competition and won in a time of 6 minutes, 56.39 seconds -- nearly three seconds ahead of runner-up Cal. The first varsity eight won the petite final with a dramatic sprint to the finish.

Davis was particularly impressed with how her team handled its first trip to the NCAAs. The Gophers thought they should have been invited last season, when they got only an at-large bid for the first varsity eight boat. They used that snub as incentive for this season, then conducted themselves in a focused, businesslike manner at the championships.

The fun came later, when the second varsity eight accepted its title trophy and Davis treated the team to a victory nosh at a bakery. Her leg wasn't quite ready to dance, but her heart certainly was. "A few years ago, I determined that the losses hurt so much, you have to make sure you enjoy the victories," Davis said. "I'm really enjoying this one."

Rachel Blount • rblount@startribune.com