SISSETON – Chloe Langager’s athletic career was nearly over before it really even took off.

The Sisseton standout sustained a significant knee injury during her sophomore season of volleyball, but has since returned to – if possible – even better form in her junior and senior campaigns, helping lead the Redmen to back-to-back third place finishes at the Class A girls’ state basketball championship. She also is tied for the third best mark in the Class A girls’ shot put this season in addition to competing in the discus.

Still, those efforts were nearly derailed in a split second. Her injury was so extensive, in fact, that she had to travel out of state just to have her knee put back together.

“I was hoping it was just a dislocation, or nothing too serious,” Langager said of her immediate reaction following that injury.

Instead, imaging showed a torn ACL, meniscus damage and five different tears to her PCL. In other words, her knee was in shambles, and no orthopedic surgeon in the area would touch it. Surgery was scheduled in the Twin Cities area.

And recovery, as one would expect, was rough. 

Langager had to stay completely non-weight bearing for eight weeks – longer than a routine ACL repair – plus spend six full months wearing a knee brace, even while sleeping.

“I had cadaver tendons put in, because mine was completely gone,” Langager said, “so I had to keep it stretched out.

For some, that might be the end of the road, athletically speaking.

Not for Langager.

“It was definitely a big setback, but I never considered not playing ever again,” she said. “I love sports. I love basketball the most, obviously, but I just love competing. I love the atmosphere.”

Still, it was a long road back. Langager missed the remainder of her sophomore seasons plus her junior season of volleyball. Even when she did return to action on the basketball court, things had changed.

“Instead of starting as a freshman and scoring 30 points, my sister (Krista) was scoring 30 points and I was the one helping her,” Chloe said.

While it was not quite the role she was accustomed to, neither was it one she shirked. The Langager sisters took turns leading the way for the Redmen on the court, particularly as Chloe’s strength returned.

“I think I knew if I focused on the fear I wouldn’t be who I wanted to be as an athlete,” she said. “I had to put that out of my head.”

Sisseton eventually finished third at the state tournament that season, then made another serious run at a championship this past season before again finishing in third.

“It’s amazing,” Langager said of being part of those state tournament teams. “When you’re a little kid and you grow up and see the high school athletes, you want to be that. We worked hard for it. In seventh and eighth grade, we started seeing the banners in the gym of past championships. … We fell short two years in a row. This year hurt a bit more, but it still means a lot.”

She hopes the legacy she and her teammates leave behind them will live on in the next wave of Sisseton girls’ basketball programs.

“I hope they can do what we couldn’t,” she said.

For now, Langager is focused on finishing out her senior track and field season strong. She was eighth in the shot put as a junior and says she would definitely like to outdo that when the state meet rolls around in a few weeks.

“I think it’s just fun. And I love competing,” she said. “(Track) fills both those things at the same time.”

Aside from the sheer significance of Langager’s injury, it has had lasting impacts on both her life and her outlook.

“First it impacted me because I realized I could do hard things,” she said. “Obstacles are going to come, they’re going to be hard, but you can overcome them.”

It also has had one more lasting effect – Langager’s choice of careers. She is headed to the University of South Dakota in the fall with an eye toward a career in the medical field.

“I saw so many different medical professionals, and everyone was so kind,” she said. “I think it would be so amazing to care and give someone that (same experience).”

While that path does not include athletics beyond this, her senior season, Langager said she’s at peace with that.

“I knew it was time to hang up the jersey,” she said.

And in the final few weeks that remain in her track and field career, she’s focused on one thing.

“I hope to just keep making memories, whether in school or at meets,” she said. “Just keep having fun.”