SPEARFISH — One of, if not the best distance runners in South Dakota is taking her talents to the national stage. Spearfish senior Peyton VanDeest has officially qualified for Nike Cross Nationals, where she will compete this Saturday against the fastest high school runners in America.
VanDeest—already a two-time top-two finisher at the SDHSAA Class AA State Meet—enters nationals coming off the strongest stretch of racing in her career. She earned second place at the South Dakota state meet on October 25, clocking a 17:24.8 on a challenging course in Sioux Falls.
Just two weeks later, she delivered a massive statement run at the NXR Heartland Regional Championships, finishing runner-up again with a personal-record time of 17:04.3, one of the fastest 5Ks ever posted by a South Dakota girls runner in a major regional meet. Her Heartland finish punched her ticket to Nike Cross Nationals and solidified her status as one of the Midwest’s elite cross-country athletes.
The Heartland Regional is widely regarded as one of the deepest and most competitive qualifying meets in the country—making VanDeest’s performance all the more impressive. Her ability to surge late, stay composed in a crowded pack, and close with a powerful final mile helped her separate from a field stacked with state champions and nationally ranked runners.
Now, she’ll bring that momentum to Portland, Oregon, where the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) will feature the best of the best from around the United States. For VanDeest, it’s the culmination of years of work—and the latest chapter in one of the most decorated careers in Spearfish High School distance running history.
With back-to-back runner-up finishes in the biggest meets of her season and a PR that puts her among the nation’s elite, VanDeest enters the national championship with confidence, experience, and a chance to make history for the Spartans.