By Rich Winter 

605 Sports

TYNDALL — In early May, Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon senior Peyton Hellmann’s world unraveled. 

Ranked No. 4 in the nation (Flo Wrestling) at 135 pounds, South Dakota’s only four-time girls state champion suffered a serious knee injury in mid-May at a national tournament in Las Vegas.

“I was in the semis and wrestled a really good opponent,” Hellmann said. “I took a shot, she tried to hip toss me and I felt my knee go.” 

The trainers in Las Vegas told the Hellmanns the injury was likely a torn ACL and that diagnosis, along with a partial meniscus tear was confirmed when the family returned to South Dakota. 

The summer of 2024 was supposed to be a trailblazing tour of national tournaments, competing against the best wrestlers in the nation and showcasing her abilities for potential college suitors. 

Hellmann didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about the injury, instead focusing on physical therapy and doing everything her doctors and trainers told her. 

Positive attitude aside, Hellmann had some difficult moments last summer. 

“It was the toughest thing mentally for me to go through and the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with,” she said. 

Despite not being able to wrestle Hellmann maintained contact with her South Dakota USA Wrestling teammates. A veteran of Team South Dakota, Hellmann embraced a new role as mentor to some of the younger athletes on the team. 

“I tried to help prepare them and support them at these tournaments,” Hellmann said. “I enjoyed being in that environment seeing other South Dakota girls at the highest level. I told them to not take anything for granted and keep wrestling the way you wrestle.”

Hellmann had surgery on May 17 and doctors gave Hellmann an initial time table for recovery of 9-12 months. Hellman’s math told her that 9-10 months would bring her back in January or February, curtailing a good chunk of her senior season. 

With clear and concise instructions from her surgeon and her physical therapy team Hellmann attacked her rehabilitation

“I went to physical therapy twice a week since I tore it,” she said. “I would do the same exercises at home and I lifted two-to-three times per week to help build my strength in my upper body.”

When she was given clearance to run Hellmann started doing sprinting and running workouts.  

In early December, months ahead of schedule, Hellmann was cleared to wrestle at the Viborg-Hurley Duals on Dec. 6. Hellmann’s surgeon told her that only about five of 100 surgeries go like hers while comparing her speedy recovery to that of former South Dakota State basketball player Macy Miller. 

“As soon as it happened I was motivated to get back by February,” she said. “I did what my team told me and they said if the knee is hurting to back off on that. You have to be completely honest with them and listen to their instructions.” 

Hellmann won’t compete at this weekend’s Rapid City Invitational with the mindset of not trying to push too hard in an early two-day tournament. She anticipates going full bore in early January. 

“Right now it's based on how my quad decides to grow,” she said. “Right now the strength is at 79 percent of my other knee so I think it will take a few more weeks to get it where it needs to be.” 

Hellmann is joined on her high school team by three-time state champion Britney Rueb. She says having someone so near her weight every day in practice has helped her become the wrestler she is today. 

The success of Hellmann and Rueb has inspired other girls to give wrestling a shot. A year ago the team finished seventh at the state tournament. With nine girls out for wrestling, and with six of those athletes ranked in the Dakota Grappler Week 1 girls rankings, Hellmann is hoping for a higher team finish this year. 

“It would be a super big goal of placing as a team,” she said. “We have a few new girls out that are doing well and I think we can place significantly higher with the girls we have.” 

Hellmann has plans of wrestling in college and right now she has that list narrowed to three or four schools. 

“I want to find a coach that is going to be able to get me where I want to go,” she said. “If I find a coach at the Division III school or an NAIA school that has a coach that can get me to a world team I would go there, but I’m still trying to figure that out.”