RAPID CITY, S.D. — Peyton VanDeest closed one of the most decorated careers in Spearfish cross country history with a top-five finish at state.
The senior placed fourth in the Class AA girls race Saturday at the SDHSAA State Cross Country Meet at Hart Ranch, crossing in 17:36.2 to lead the Spartans. VanDeest, the reigning Gatorade South Dakota Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, was the state runner-up a year ago.
On the boys side, sophomore Rylan VanDeest and junior Mason Gill gave the Spartans a strong one-two punch near the front. VanDeest placed 11th in 15:43.6, and Gill was right behind him in 13th with a personal-best 15:48.2.
Girls race
Behind VanDeest, a pair of Spartans finished just three spots apart. Eighth grader Taisley Tetrault ran a personal best of 19:57.9 to place 43rd, and senior Auna Taglioli finished 46th with a season-best 20:02.0.
Eighth grader Naomi Pfaff was 73rd in 21:07.2. Sophomore Maddy Campbell placed 103rd in 22:07.4, junior Sophia Hatleli was 110th in 22:44.8, and freshman Samantha Nygren finished 115th with a personal-best 23:27.4.
Boys race
Spearfish’s next three runners came in a tight pack. Freshman Anthony Stevens ran a personal best of 16:47.2 to finish 38th, junior Carter Thompson was 42nd in 16:49.7, and freshman Roman Jeffery set a personal best of 16:55.4 to place 48th.
Eighth grader Bastian Gonzales finished 52nd in 17:06.6, and junior Ian Cho placed 117th in 19:20.6.
Looking ahead
The Spartans’ depth of young talent stands out heading into next season. Of the 14 Spearfish runners at state, five were freshmen or eighth graders, and three of them ran personal bests on the sport’s biggest stage. With Rylan VanDeest, Gill, Stevens and Jeffery all returning, the boys program has a strong core to build around.
The girls will say goodbye to VanDeest and Taglioli, but Tetrault and Pfaff showed they’re ready to carry a bigger load after strong state debuts as eighth graders.