Faith Wiese of Flandreau won the ‘A’ girls individual cross-country title on Saturday at Hart Ranch in Rapid City. She finished with a time of 18:27.59, nearly a full thirteen seconds ahead of second place finisher Ellie Maddox of Sioux Falls Christian.
Not only is this Wiese’s first state championship in the personal accolade category, but it’s also the first time that Flandreau public school has had an athlete win in the sport.
“It’s just a gift to show that even though we’re a small school, we’re pretty good too,” said Wiese.
Faith Wiese of Flandreau wins the ‘A’ girls title. #SDPreps pic.twitter.com/c9BHCApIyr
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) October 26, 2024
Wiese has two runner-up finishes in her high school career as well – 2020 and 2023.
“I’m a fighter, and I think I’m a good competitor, so I congratulate people if they win or lose,” explained Wiese. “I’m just happy to come away with it. All these other girls, they should be super proud of themselves too.”
A few moments after the race, once it began to hit her that she was a state champion, Wiese mentioned that it’s a moment she’ll never forget.
“I’m so happy,” exclaimed Wiese. “You never expect coming into a season that you’re going to win at the end, so I never take for granted what we have. I’m just happy my legs felt good today, had great competition, and it was a beautiful day.
Flandreau finished fourth in the team standings for Class A girls. Calla Wiese finished just outside the top-25 in 26th, Josie Hamilton came in at 42nd, and Kiley Westberry crossed the line in 57th.
