Valeria Cardenas’ Season Ends With Torn ACL

Another unfortunate injury to strike the division this year.

One of Seattle Riot‘s big international pickups this season, Valeria Cardenas will miss the 2019 fall Series after suffering a torn ACL at the Pro Championships. She announced the injury via Instagram on Wednesday.

Cardenas has been one of the most dominant handlers in the world over the past few years, headlining Colombian national teams at all age levels (along with her twin sister) and helping lead Medellín Revolution to a 2017 U.S. Open title, an inaugural championship in the PUL, and a silver medal at the 2018 World Ultimate Club Championships, where the team fell in the final to her future teammates on Riot. In her first season competing in the USAU club division, Cardenas has been a steady addition to the D-line handling corps for Seattle, who currently sit at #3 in the Club Power Rankings.

“It’s been almost 3 months since I arrived from Colombia to fulfill my dream, which I will do from a different position, since I tore my anterior cruciate ligament so I can’t play anymore this year,” said Cardenas in her Instagram post, translated from her native Spanish. “Now I can only think about my recovery and coming back stronger to make my dream of playing and winning nationals with Seattle Riot come true, in being professional, in continuing to represent the Colombia team, in playing with Revo, and in being a better player and person every day.”

Cardenas becomes the second major star of the women’s division to endure a season-ending injury, as Rival star Sophie Knowles also suffered an ACL tear earlier this summer.