Photo courtesy of Spearfish Spartans Cross Country.
SPEARFISH, S.D. — It was a championship kind of day for Spearfish Cross Country. Both the Spartans Girls and Boys teams captured the Black Hills Conference titles, marking a historic sweep for the program. The girls claimed their fourth straight conference championship, while the boys brought home their first conference title since 2015.
Girls Capture Fourth Consecutive Title
The Spartans girls dominated from start to finish, led by junior Peyton VanDeest, who crossed the line in 19:11.65 to earn first place overall. Senior Kori Keil followed close behind in second place with a time of 20:29.78, while junior Sierra Sandford added key points with a fifth-place finish in 21:26.35.
The team’s depth once again made the difference. TyLee Tetrault placed 12th (22:01.16), eighth-grader Lauryn Donovan finished 15th (22:05.18), and senior Bella Linn rounded out the scoring in 17th (22:25.22). The balanced performance helped the Spartans secure their fourth consecutive Black Hills Conference crown.
Boys Win First Title Since 2015
The Spartans boys team delivered a statement performance to end a nine-year drought, claiming the Black Hills Conference title for the first time since 2015. Sophomore Mason Gill led the way with a fourth-place finish in 17:37.45, followed closely by freshman Rylan VanDeest in fifth (17:37.73).
Carter Thompson finished seventh with a time of 18:20.39, while senior Kadin Gonzales came in 14th (18:45.97). Bloom Brown and Ian Cho rounded out the effort, finishing 35th (20:46.60) and 43rd (22:28.52) respectively.