Colony athlete overcomes serious injury, earns chance to compete at the college level

After a freak injury on the ice in January, Ethan McNulty, a senior on Colony High School’s varsity hockey team faced a harsh reality.

His time as an athlete might be over.

During an early-morning practice, McNulty suffered a mid-shaft full break of the femur, and about a 95 percent break at the neck of the femur. But McNulty defied odds, surprised doctors and overcame an injury that left him hospitalized for a week and in a wheelchair for about a month.

Now McNulty is an NCAA Division II athlete.

McNulty, a multi-sport athlete at Colony also on the football and track and field teams, signed his National Letter of Intent to compete for the UAA Seawolves track and field squad next season in the throwing events.

“Obviously my hockey season was over. I was told my throwing season and going to play football in college was likely gone,” McNulty said. “It made sense in my head. But once I got to thinking about it, track’s not a physical sport. I can still do that. I’m not worried about re-injuring as much. I just have to work for it.”

McNulty has played hockey since the age of 7, and joined the football and track teams while in high school. Since that point, he’s enjoyed a lot of success.

As a junior, McNulty helped Colony win its first state football championship in school history. He capped his junior year by winning an individual state title in the boys discus, with a throw of 151 feet, 10 inches, and also helped the Knights grab the Division I boys track and field team title.

As a senior in football, he was named second-team all Cook Inlet Conference as an offensive lineman.

“I discovered track and field and football later on,” McNulty, who stands at 6-foot-6, said. “Midway through high school I thought this is something I’m better at, something I could realistically see myself doing.”

Before his injury, a future in football and track were possibilities. There was interest from Division I programs following his state title, with the potential for scholarships. But after the injury, the future was unknown, at least initially. McNulty said he can’t fault programs for withdrawing offers because of the level of uncertainty. As he rehabilitated from his injury, McNulty weighed his options and UAA became the next step for him in his athletic and academic career. Finances, location and opportunities drove McNulty to choose a school and a program that’s less than an hour away from where he grew up.

“Stay local I can still get a (Permanent Fund Dividend). I can fish, I can hunt,” he said.

McNulty said he will also have the opportunity to compete immediately in the throwing events.

“I saw they compete against a lot of Division I schools. I’m still getting that high level of competition,” he said.

Aside from repeating as a state champion, McNulty has a couple of goals for his senior season in track, which started at the beginning of April. He has already eclipsed Colony’s school record of 157-8 in the discus in practice, but needs to do it in a meet to make it official. But his sights are set on 192-8, the state record held by former Bartlett High standout Jordan Clarke, who will be inducted into the ASAA Hall of Fame in May.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.