SPEARFISH, S.D. – Peyton VanDeest ran away from the field Friday as the Spearfish Spartans boys and girls cross country teams each earned third-place finishes at the Northern Hills Invitational in Spearfish.
VanDeest, a senior, led the way for the Spartans with a commanding victory in the varsity girls 5,000-meter race. She crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 40.20 seconds, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of runner-up Jaelyn Ruybal of Sheridan.
VanDeest’s first-place performance gave Spearfish one of three runners inside the top 10.
Senior Auna Taglioli finished eighth overall in 21:04.30, while eighth-grader Taisley Tetrault was right behind her in ninth at 21:04.40. Just one-tenth of a second separated the two Spartan runners at the finish.
Sophomore Madison Campbell was the fourth Spearfish runner across the line, taking 23rd in 22:47.30. Junior Sophia Hatleli rounded out the Spartans’ five scoring runners with a 26th-place finish in 23:22.50.
Sophomore Trinity Hourigan also competed for Spearfish, finishing 33rd in 24:42.70.
The Spartans totaled 51 points to finish third in the girls team standings. Sheridan won the meet with 35 points, narrowly beating Thunder Basin’s 38. Spearfish’s five scoring runners averaged 21:11.
Spearfish Boys Place Three in Top 12
The Spearfish boys also put together a strong performance, placing three runners inside the top 12 and finishing third in the team standings.
Sophomore Rylan VanDeest paced the Spartans with a third-place finish, completing the 5K in 16:30.00. Only Sheridan’s Eli Balkenbush and Joseph Gonda finished ahead of him.
Junior Carter Thompson gave Spearfish a second top-10 performance, finishing ninth in 17:14.80.
Junior Mason Gill followed closely behind, placing 12th with a time of 17:29.30. The three gave Spearfish a strong start in the team scoring with finishes of third, eighth and 11th among scoring runners.
Freshman Anthony Stevens finished 26th overall in 18:31.60, while freshman Roman Jeffery completed Spearfish’s scoring five with a 30th-place finish in 19:03.00.
Junior Ian Cho placed 32nd in 19:32.00, and junior Tanner Gottlob finished in 20:16.00. Junior Luca Neiman recorded a time of 21:38.00, while senior Alexander Albrecht crossed the line in 22:39.50.
Spearfish finished with 71 points, just three points behind second-place Thunder Basin, which totaled 68. Sheridan won the boys team championship with 26 points.
The Spartans’ five scoring runners averaged 17:45, while only 2:33 separated Spearfish’s first and fifth scorers.
Spearfish Northern Hills Invitational Results
Girls
Peyton VanDeest, 17:40.20
Auna Taglioli, 21:04.30
Taisley Tetrault, 21:04.40
Madison Campbell, 22:47.30
Sophia Hatleli, 23:22.50
Trinity Hourigan, 24:42.70
Team: 3rd, 51 points
Boys
Rylan VanDeest, 16:30.00
Carter Thompson, 17:14.80
Mason Gill, 17:29.30
Anthony Stevens, 18:31.60
Roman Jeffery, 19:03.00
Ian Cho, 19:32.00
Tanner Gottlob, 20:16.00
Luca Neiman, 21:38.00
Alexander Albrecht, 22:39.50
Team: 3rd, 71 points