Northwestern’s Ella Boekelheide is now a two-time individual state cross country champion. The Wildcats junior won the ‘B’ girls race with a time of 19:07.52 at the state meet on Saturday from Hart Ranch in Rapid City.
She also won at state as an eighth grader in 2021.
“It’s super exciting,” Boekelheide mentioned. “There was a bit of a gap in there, and it really helped me refine my love for the sport. It’s almost like I have a deeper appreciation for it, so it’s just surreal.
Ella Boekelheide of Northwestern wins in the ‘B’ girls class. #SDPreps pic.twitter.com/UoHhRqxNzN
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) October 26, 2024
Along with now being a two-time winner in the event, she’s also had strong finishes throughout the rest of her prep career. Boekelheide placed in the top-10 as a seventh grader and finished runner-up both her freshman and sophomore year. This year’s meet was also the first time since 2020 that she ran at Hart Ranch in Rapid.
“The last time I ran on this, it was in seventh grade, so it’s been a while,” Boekelheide explained. “And it was blizzarding [in 2020], so it’s definitely a completely new course. The hills were more of a challenge than I expected, and the win was also there, but I can’t complain. The temperature was perfect.”
Boekelheide is also a volleyball player for Northwestern, which the school is highly known for. And while she loves volleyball, cross country hold a special place in her heart.
“It was definitely a journey and a process, and I just learned to trust the process,” exclaimed Boekelheide. “Everything happens for a reason, just let it all work itself out. I just think I relearned the love of the sport, and that I was doing it as a passion of mine.”
As a team, Northwestern placed third in girls' cross country at this year's state meet. Tara Blachford finished 11th, Brenna Halvorson placed 41st, and Rachel Melius came in at 55th.
