Sophomore Averi Kroenke is an avid reader. 

She tells the story of “The Impossible First,” as Colin O’Brady recounts his 932-mile solo trip across the barren plains of Antarctica. 

“[It talks] about perseverance and challenges,” Kroenke said. “Kind of puts life into perspective.”

This resonated with Kroenke, as she faces an uphill battle of her own. She crosses the ice-stricken MU campus with her right foot in a boot. She propels her scooter using only her left leg, relying on her own merits and willpower. 

It hasn’t always been this way. Kroenke was sprinting around the gym of Mizzou Arena in October, preparing for her sophomore season with the women’s basketball team. 

Expectations were high for her second season with both herself and her coaches noticing improvements in her ball-handling, passing and most importantly, her three-point shooting.

Unfortunately, the offseason was all for naught. It was revealed she suffered a foot injury in the week leading up to the season opener on Monday, Nov. 6 against Belmont. 

Kroenke and her boot have been on the sideline for every game this season, forced to spectate and encourage from the bench.

“I’ve never had to sit out this long,” Kroenke said. “It’s really hard when you’re always watching.”

Even though she hasn’t been playing in games, Kroenke’s days remain busy.

Every day, Kroenke goes through the same routine. After waking up it’s straight to practice, hobbling to her trunk to unload her scooter to head into Mizzou Arena. At practice, she sits in a chair courtside, working on her ballhanding before working her way towards the hoop to work on her shooting form. Her limitations cap her range at 15 feet, making 25 shots before moving to the next spot.

“Your days get very monotonous,” Kroenke said. “Every day is very much the same … that can get a little tiring.”

While Kroenke mentions these difficulties, it may be hard to know from looking at her. She’s almost always seen with a large smile spreading across her face, her blue eyes wide with excitement. 

Kroenke credits her enthusiasm to her involvement in her faith. She attends both Campus Lutheran Church as well as Veritas, the college ministry inside The Crossing. Kroenke stated that the best advice she ever received came from Romans 8:28.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

“I know that during this time, even though it’s really hard and I don’t always understand it, I know that God’s working for his greater good and a plan much better than I could have imagined,” Kroenke said. 

Her cheerful nature has been both noticed and appreciated by the rest of the team. 

“You can’t ever tell if she’s having a bad day because she brings the same energy every day,” sophomore guard Ashton Judd said. 

Judd and Kroenke have become quite close to one another. As the only two recruits from the Class of 2022, the pair roomed together in a residence hall freshman year. While the two still live together in an apartment, Kroenke mentioned how special the first year was for both players.

“We went to baseball games together, had little dorm talks,” Kroenke said. “All those tiny moments really impacted me and what I remember most.”

Now, as sophomores, the duo still keeps their relationship quite close. While out to dinner at Delia’s, Judd mentioned in a conversation to Kroenke how she may have to miss the upcoming game against University of Missouri-Kansas City after tweaking her elbow. Judd hates to miss games, often going into the gym twice a day for the extra reps to prepare.

“I’m a train wreck about missing a practice,” Judd said. 

Kroenke served as a good balance, using her own experience to calm Judd’s nerves. 

“She was just so encouraging,” Judd said. “I’m so proud of [Kroenke] and the way she carries herself.”

Judd played against UMKC with the help of Kroenke’s encouragement, racking up a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Outside of their class, Judd and Kroenke are connected by being from Missouri originally. It’s common on this year’s team, as seven of the 14 players are from a town in the Show-Me state.

“A lot of us know each other from the high school days,” Kroenke said. “It’s really cool having all these girls that you’ve had a relationship with prior to coming to college.”

After growing up in the small town of Lincoln, Kroenke moved to Columbia before her freshman year of high school. She graduated from Rock Bridge High School, winning Missouri Class 6 Player of the Year honors her senior year as the No. 74 player in the 2022 class nationwide.

The decision to commit to MU was always quite easy for Kroenke, as her two older brothers graduated as Tigers.

“Even early on in my recruiting process, Mizzou was always in the back of my mind,” Kroenke said. “It’s nice I was so familiar with campus and coming to games, getting to see the players and coaches.”

After five years living in Columbia, Kroenke is an expert at navigating MU’s campus. But her favorite spot on campus remains the same: The Columns. 

“It’s one of the prettiest campuses,” Kroenke said. “[Going to the quad] and feel the college atmosphere.”  

Another part of Kroenke’s allure with MU was  its strong speech pathology program, which she’s currently a part of. Kroenke had her own speech pathologist growing up, working on her letter pronunciation. According to Kroenke, this experience helped her understand the importance of helping others. 

“I really want to do anything I can to serve and help others,” Kroenke said. “I feel like that’s really rewarding when you’re able to do that every day.”

Kroenke enjoys helping others, but continues to remain focused on healing her body. While she has remained determined through her injury, she is ready to ditch the boot and return to normal. 

“I’ll never complain about another conditioning session or weights session when I’m actually able to do it again,” Kroenke said. “I’m excited for everything that comes with it.”

Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com