WYOMING STATE MEET

Sydney Thorvaldson Caps Wyoming XC Career With Spectacular Finish For Fourth Title

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Arkansas-bound senior Sydney Thorvaldson won her final Wyoming state cross country championship race by more than two and a half minutes Friday at Valli Vu Golf Course in Afton. 

Thorvaldson, the top returner nationally from the 2019 Nike Cross Nationals (third), completed a spectacular week in Wyoming running her final races in a Rawlins uniform. Earlier in the week, on Monday at the 3A East Conference Championships, Thorvaldson ran a winning time that was nearly a minute faster than any of the boys competing in the meet. 

Thorvaldson broke her own course record by 33 seconds, running 16:59.6 for the fastest state meet performance by a female in Wyoming history. It was her fourth consecutive Class 3A title. 

The Wyoming state cross country meet was moved up one day to avoid an impending weekend snowstorm. 

Running in brisk 30-degree air, Thorvaldson ran  her fifth sub-17 time in a 5-kilometer race this season. Elena Jensen of Lyman was the only other girl to break 20 minutes in the race, clocking 19:34.5.

Only three boys in the 3A race Friday were faster than Thorvaldson. Star Valley senior Peter Visser, one of the top runners in the region, ran 15:48.7 on his home course. He was more than 40 seconds up on Lander Valley duo Sam Kistemann (16:31.3) and Kaleb Simonson (16:37.7). 

Lander Valley put four in the top eight on the way to the team title with 45 points.

At the 4A final in Casper, Jackson's Ben Williams won the boys title in 15:55.1. He was five seconds up on Siler Weaver from Evanston. Williams and teammate Mason Wheeler went 1-3 to lead Jackson to the team championship with 78 points. Cheyenne Central was second with 81 points and Sheridan was third with 83.

Delilah Baedke from Natrona County won the 4A girls race in 18:38.4. Jackson put all five scorers in the top 14 and won the girls team title with 45 points. 

Tongue River swept the boys and girls 2A titles in Douglas. Freshman Addie Pendergast won the girls race in 22:18.2 to lead the girls team. 

Defending champion Wyoming Indian, which returned three of the top four finishers in the 2019 state meet, did not compete this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sophomore twins Grant and Grady Bartlett went 1-2 for Saratoga in the boys race but Tongue River managed to overcome that with more team depth on the way to a tie-breaking win after both schools scored 28 with four scorers. Grant Bartlett's winning time was 18:33.4. 

TEAM CHAMPIONS

Class 4A - Jackson boys 78 points, Jackson girls 45 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Lander Valley boys 45 points, Cody girls 87 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Tongue River boys 28 points (tiebreak), Tongue River girls 42 points (scoring four) - RESULTS