November 2026 Athlete of the Month – Owen Joyce

Owen Joyce, a junior from Oliver Ames High School, came to Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy after dislocating his kneecap during a soccer practice that resulted in him undergoing a patellar stabilization/medial plication surgery. Over the past 7 months, Owen has worked closely with Elite Physical Therapist, Abby Regnier, PT, DPT, to restore his range of motion, strength, speed and power to return to the soccer field. A high-level soccer player, he has been playing on the varsity team at OA since his freshman year and was very motivated to get back to his sport as healthy and strong as possible.

Being sidelined from the sport you love is never easy, but Owen maximized his time away from his sport as he pushed himself to get back to soccer stronger and more powerful than before. He was extremely committed to his rehabilitation as he showed up to every session giving 110% effort and worked hard to master every challenge that was thrown at him. He demonstrated discipline, resilience and consistency throughout his rehab process while asking meaningful questions to better understand his injury and the goals of every exercise. Owen embraced the mindset that “things that are hard are what will make you better,” which helped make his rehabilitation journey successful.

Even though soccer may be his favorite sport, Owen is a big sports fan in general with Drake Maye being his favorite athlete. When asked about his experience at Elite, Owen says, “I would recommend Elite to all of my teammates and friends as my PT helped me get through my injury while making my recovery lots of fun in the process.” When asked what advice he would give to other athletes starting out their physical therapy journey he answered, “Keep consistent and celebrate the small victories,” which is some great advice as there will be many challenges and milestones throughout the long journey.

Owen consistently exceeded expectations in physical therapy, earning him the honor of being selected our Elite Athlete of the Month for November! We are confident that his strong work ethic, unwavering determination, and perseverance will carry him to great heights in his athletic career. He hopes to play collegiate soccer one day and we are looking forward to rooting for him as he continues to strive for excellence both on and off the field.

Have you or an athlete in your family recent suffered a sports injury? If so, Elite can help! Our team of expert Physical Therapists specialize in sports and orthopedic physical therapy and injury rehab. Give us a call at 781-436-9843 or email us at PTinfo@elitesportsandpt.com to schedule an Initial Evaluation today!

Interested in improving your sports performance, elevating your game, and reducing your risk of injury? Check out Elite’s Sports Performance program! Designed for athletes ages 8-22, our personalized, sport-specific training programs will help the athletes in your family make the most of their in-season or off-season training programs and get real and impactful results! To learn more about our athlete training and sports physical therapy services for athletes of all ages and sports and how you or an athlete in your family can become our next athlete of the month, click HERE!