FREDERICK – Chloe Arneson was coming off the best basketball season of her career, and a successful state track and field meet. She was gearing up for a big senior year and then it all came unraveled during a summer camp game on June 8 in Brookings.

She heard something pop in her knee, which was eventually diagnosed as a torn ACL, and suddenly her final season at Frederick took on a much different look.

“I tore it in the second game that we played that day,” Arneson said, “so I really only got one game under my belt my senior year.”

While the physical pain was one thing, it was nothing compared to the realization that what was supposed to be one final memorable run with the Titans was now unprobable.

“I always thought that I was invincible,” Arneson said. “I don’t know why, I just always thought that I wouldn’t get hurt, and it seemed like when it happened, it kind of hit hard, and I don’t think a lot of people realized how hard it did hit me.”

Dreams of perhaps qualifying for the Class B state girls’ basketball tournament in Rapid City were replaced by the harsh reality of days spent in rehab, with a goal of somehow salvaging what she could of her final prep campaign.

“All of us we’re kind of like, ‘Oh, state’s in Rapid. It would be pretty fun to go play at The Monument.’ That was kind of on our radar,” Arneson said of the team’s expectations after falling in the SoDak 16 the year before. “We wanted to get there.”

While competing in her fall sports of volleyball and cross country were out the question, Arneson originally held out limited hope that she could at least play a few games of basketball.

“I always told people that my goal was to get back for some of basketball,” Arneson said, “but in my head, I always knew that realistically that wasn’t going to happen.”

Instead, she put on a uniform for basketball games, but never saw the floor.

Soon, it was track and field that became the motivation and driving force behind those hard days of rehabilitation. While basketball was her favorite sport, she was bound and determined to at least compete in something before she graduated.

“I want to at least put on one uniform this year and actually play my sport,” Arneson told herself. “I said I want to put on a uniform and participate, not sit there and watch.”

Through hours of rehab, advice from a fellow athlete, and encouragement from coaches, friends and community, Arneson was able to return for her final track and field season.

“My end goal was track. I wanted to be back for some of track and I got all of it,” Arneson said. “That was really amazing.”

And what’s just as amazing is that while Arneson can no longer compete in jumping events, her times on the track are comparable to a year ago.

“Honestly, I’m kind of where I was last year,” Arneson said, “and it’s shocking me and a lot of people around me, I think.”

Naturally, Arneson had plenty of questions as she encountered various stages of rehab. That’s where McKaelyn Zuehlke of Britton-Hecla, who had dealt with her own injury, provided answers and encouragement.

“She gave me a lot of reassurance,” Arneson said. “She’s a person that really helped me through it, because she made me realize that things that were happening to me were normal and that I shouldn’t overthink stuff.”

Fears and doubts soon were replaced with confidence and a feeling of gratitude when Arneson realized that things could have been much worse in the grand scheme of life.

“It really makes me appreciate now, I have two working knees,” Arneson said. “I’m really thankful that it was something that could be fixed. … I get a second chance. I can do all that stuff again. It just was kind of a bump in the road for now.”

Arneson, like her teammates, has always been instructed to be mentally tough when it comes to competing, but this injury gave that term new meaning.

She credited assistant coach Sarah Sumption, who she labeled as “basically a second mom to me,” for helping her throughout her journey.

“I’d have to say Sarah Sumption is probably the best at saying mental toughness is what you need to be an athlete. I think her doing that has also helped me through all of this,” Arneson said.

The torn ACL not only altered Arneson’s path for her senior season, it has also changed her future plans for life after high school. She now wants to go into orthopedics and help others like she benefitted from herself.

“My injury definitely led me to the more medical field I have to say,” Arneson said. “It’s weird how something like this can just change your whole life path, but it really has changed my whole life.”

Arneson is a member of the 1,600-meter relay squad that be competing in this week’s state meet in Sioux Falls, providing a fitting finish for somebody who has worked incredibly hard to see the finish line in front of her.

“I think most people are shocked, I’m not going to lie,” Arneson said. “I don’t think anyone, including myself, really expected me to be where I am now.”

Arneson is thankful to everyone who has helped her along the way, knowing that when she puts on that Frederick uniform for one last time, it will be a compilation of hard work and a network of friends from sports and the community that have helped to make the journey possible.

“Every time I step on that track, I’m just thankful,” Arneson said. “I’m thankful that I’ve been given the opportunity to run.”