New London — Here is Jenna Schumacher's description of her three-plus years at Amherst College so far:

"I've met some really unique and interesting and diverse people," said Schumacher, who is two weeks away from starting her final semester. "I can be in the dining hall and strike up a conversation and come away thinking, 'this person is so cool.'"

That uniqueness, as well as her coaches and teammates on the Amherst women's basketball team — make that the defending Division III national champion Amherst women's basketball team — is what's sustaining her these days.

Schumacher, a 2014 East Lyme High School graduate, underwent career-ending knee surgery Thursday in Rocky Hill and sat at the end of the Mammoths' bench Friday night as they played at Connecticut College, her right leg propped up on a chair.

And yet the list of things Schumacher has dared in her career is so much more lengthy than what she has not.

Despite her disappointment at what transpired on just the fifth day of practice this season for top-ranked and unbeaten Amherst, looking to defend its title, Schumacher has been able to keep her injury in perspective because of her overall experience at the school and the friendships she has forged.

"At the end of the day, although I'm not contributing as much on the court, the journey has been the whole part of it," she said. "I started playing in the third grade, 8 years old. It feels like a big chunk of my life is coming to an end. But I think about what I've gained off the court, as a person."

All-time Viking

At East Lyme, Schumacher graduated as the Vikings' all-time leading scorer in girls' basketball with more than 1,200 points. She also was part of the volleyball program, which won Class L championships in 2010 and 2011, and finished with back-to-back Eastern Connecticut Conference titles in the javelin as a junior and senior in outdoor track and field.

She and her brother Jeff, who is two years older, were both Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes as seniors, achieving nearly straight A's as they fought for all-around excellence in the footsteps of their parents, Dale and Jackie, who met while both working at Pfizer.

Schumacher recalls that she was sitting in Amherst coach G.P. Gromacki's office while she was being recruited and he told her the goal of the program was to win a national championship.

"My mom said, 'I didn't believe it,'" Schumacher said with a smile. "... I was on my official visit and, just the people. The team was really close-knit. They have such a strong program. I thought 'why not go to the best school I can?'"

Amherst, with Schumacher a part of the roster, won the national championship on March 18, 2017, at Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Mammoths defeated fellow New England Small College Athletic Conference team Tufts 52-29, limiting the Jumbos to just six points in the first half.

Schumacher won't ever forget the moment the celebratory confetti began falling from the rafters, nor the fact that when Amherst returned to its Massachusetts campus following the victory, there were fans waiting for the team outside the Mammoths' field house.

"It was at the Homecoming football game this fall that we got our (championship) rings," Schumacher said. "The graduating seniors were back, so that was an additional moment for us to celebrate."

Reserve role

Schumacher played only one minute in the national championship game and, having been injured off and on throughout her career, averaged just 6.4 minutes per game over 47 career games, 28 last season as the Mammoths went 33-0.

To have her health as a senior was something Schumacher, a 5-foot-10 guard, was especially looking forward to. Instead, an old injury from high school cropped up. Her knee was dislocated and required a donor tendon, attached during the surgery, to keep the kneecap in place. She will undergo six months of rehab, for now limited to hobbling around on crutches and dealing with trying to sit down — lie down, stand up, anything — without continual discomfort.

Here's more of Schumacher's perspective, however: Given what she knows now about her lack of playing time, she would choose to attend Amherst all over again.

"I don't think she would have done anything different," Dale Schumacher said Friday night. "The friendships she's made there are 70-year friendships; these girls are going to be in her wedding. You always want to send your kid somewhere they're going to be happy. She's happy.

"It's amazing how kids grow up ... you forget sometimes she's not a seventh- and eighth-grade girl anymore."

Jenna said it's a matter of what each individual's expectations are from his or her college experience. She realized early on that she was surrounded by exceptionally talented players and that she had a lot she could learn from Gromacki.

"Such an intelligent coach," she said. "He looks at the game a completely different way than any other coach."

Schumacher, who lives in a 10-person suite on campus with women representing eight different sports, will remain at home now until the new semester starts. She attended an East Lyme High boys' basketball game last week at New London and, Dale said, shares a sense of humor and a love of certain TV programs with her dad.

She received a bouquet of purple flowers from a friend, representing Amherst's colors, following her surgery.

At the age of 21, Schumacher's lengthy, distinguished athletic career has come to an end. But she's more than happy with the journey.

"I'm pretty disappointed (with the injury). Luckily, I have awesome teammates and coaches," Schumacher said. "These are my best friends."

v.fulkerson@theday.com