Spearfish Spartans Cross Country

09/19/2026

Clyde Cotton gallery: part 2

09/19/2026

Clyde Cotton gallery: part 1

09/19/2026

Varsity boys also with a 2nd place finish at the Clyde Cotton Invitational. These boys are building a foundation and have been looking good 💪🏼

09/19/2026

JV boys got 2nd place at the Clyde Cotton Invitational! These boys looked good today and we are excited to see how they can continue to develop this year! 🏆

09/19/2026

09/18/2026

🤍 Senior Spotlight — Sierra Sandford 🤍

Sierra first gave cross country a try in 6th grade after some friends convinced her to join, and she returned to the sport in 8th grade and has been part of the Spartan program ever since. Along the way, Sioux Falls has become her favorite place to compete—although she’ll be the first to tell you that hill workouts definitely aren’t her favorite!

Before a race, Sierra’s food of choice is an açaí bowl, and she credits Coach VanDeest as the person who has had the biggest influence on her as a runner.

For Sierra, some of the best parts of cross country have happened far away from the finish line. What she’ll miss most are the long runs with her teammates and getting to share everything going on in their lives while they run together. Her advice to younger runners reflects what she has learned throughout her career: stay consistent, keep showing up, and the results will come.

When races get tough, Sierra keeps things pretty simple: the faster you run, the faster you’re done! 😄 If she needed someone to pace her perfectly, she’d trust Peyton, and when asked who is most likely to forget something on race day, Sierra’s vote goes to Auna!

Sierra’s senior cross-country season was cut short by injury, and she recently underwent surgery. We’re all cheering her on as she recovers and are so excited for the day we get to see her healthy, smiling, and back in the maroon and white for track this spring!

After graduation, Sierra plans to attend college and continue competing in both cross country and track.

Thanks for all the miles, memories, and everything you’ve brought to Spartan Cross Country Sierra! 🤍🏃‍♀️

09/18/2026

Team Dinner at the Hourigan house! Thanks for hosting the team. We head to Huron tomorrow, races kick off Saturday at 9AM!

09/15/2026

🍬 Sweet Performances of the Week

This week’s Sweet Performances from the Nike Heartland Preview Meet go to Sophia Hatleli and Alex Albrecht!

Sophia ran a season-best performance, covering the course in 21:48!

Alex posted a personal-best time of 19:02 — even after losing his shoe early in the race!

Great performances by both of these Spartans! We’re excited to see what the rest of the season has in store! 🤍

09/12/2026

Top 10!
Peyton with a 2nd place finish today at the Nike Heartland Preview! A season best performance of 12 seconds!

09/12/2026

Top 10!
Rylan with a 10th place finish at the Nike Heartland Preview and a 30 second PR!