By 605 Sports Staff

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Competing against some of the best high school girls cross-country runners in the nation, O’Gorman’s Libby Castelli finished second in the girls championship race at Friday’s Roy Griak Invitational.

Nearly 400 girls toed the line at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. At the finish, Castelli (18:11) trailed only Colorado’s Ella Hagen (18:02) of the 5,000-meter race. 

Sioux Valley’s Isabelle Bloker finished 12th in the race (19:12), Pierre’s Emery Larson was 17th (19:24) and Flandreau’s Faith Wiese finished 20th (19:34).

The Brandon Valley girls were the top South Dakota team at the meet finishing in eighth place,  led by a 46th-place finish from Sarah Vandeberg (20:21).

The Sioux Falls Lincoln boys stamped themselves as the definitive favorite for the team title at next month’s Class AA state meet in Rapid City. 

The Lincoln boys finished with 172 points, just behind perennial power Downing Catholic, Iowa, which totaled 162 points. Lincoln placed four runners in the top-32 with Joseph Levensque finishing 26th (16:39). Lincoln’s Aemil Nelsen was 29th (16:43), Miles Lechtenberg finished 30th (16:45) and Tyrus Needles came home in 32nd place (16:46). 

Brandon Valley’s Mikah Peters was the top South Dakota boys finisher completing the 5,000-meter course in 16-minutes and :37 seconds.