Sharon Springs junior Hallie Kuhlman suffered a knee injury in the Wildcats' first-round game against Wilson at the Class 1A, Division II state basketball tournament in early March. Kuhlmanre-entered the game twice before she couldn't continue. At the time, no one knew the extent of the injury.
"They knew something was going on," Kevin Ayers, Sharon Springs' football coach, powerlifting coach and assistant track coach, said.
Kuhlman, a four-sport standout and an eight-time gold medalist at the Class 1A state track and field meet, went to the doctor and discovered she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament. She will miss six months, Ayers said Friday.
"It's disappointing but also to watch the way she has handled it, it just reassures you or speaks to you more about Hallie's character and the way she goes about things," Ayers said. "She has got a very upbeat attitude. There are going to be a lot of positives that come out of this and I think she realizes that. That's been fun to see and fun to watch."
Kuhlman, an all-state volleyball player, the leading scorer on the basketball team and a state powerlifting champion, is most well-known for her track success. As a freshman, Kuhlman won the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes and the 800-meter run and led the Wildcats to a second-place team finish. Kuhlman became the first athlete in Kansas history to win those events in one state track meet.
She replicated the feat and team placing last spring. Kuhlman's eight gold medals are two off of the northwest Kansas record of 10 golds set by Ellis' Brenda Beecher from 1988-91.
Kuhlman is the first northwest Kansas athlete to win four golds in a single state meet.
Kuhlman, Sterling's Rene Zimmerman (1990, '91), Claflin's Jackie Stiles (1994, '96) and Burlington's Katie Gruvel (2006, '07) are the lone girls to ever win four golds in two state meets, according to "A Century of Milestones: 100 Years of Kansas High School Track and Field."
"I've always thought it would be hard to do, but she sure did it and looked good and then to turn around and do it a second time is quite a phenomenal feat," Kiowa-South Barber coach Steve Roberts said. "You would almost have to (put her among the all-time greats), because if she doesn't get hurt, you've got to think she would have a chance of possibly running the table on four straight years."
Kuhlman, who has received national attention for her track and powerlifting success, is known for her work ethic and strong religious foundation, qualities that have helped her recover from the injury.
"The biggest thing that maybe came out of it is just helped her appreciate the ability just to be able to play the game and to do sports," Ayers said. "Not everyone gets to do that. I think she has got some joy back with being able to realize there is a joy in this to be able to go out and play."