Sioux Falls O’Gorman’s Libby Castelli is the 2024-25 Gatorade South Dakota girls cross-country runner of the year. 

Castelli is the third-ever O’Gorman girls runner to be chosen for the award, joining Alea Hardie and sister Katie Castelli.

The award celebrates the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. 

The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-3 senior earned First Team All-Region honors this past season by taking fifth at the Nike Cross Heartland Regional Championships with a time of 16:56.4. 

Castelli also was the state’s top finisher at Nike Cross Nationals, crossing the line in 84th. She finished third at the Class AA state meet, leading the Knights to seventh place as a team. She also earned First Team All-State honors for the O’Gorman girls soccer team for a second straight year last fall. 

Castelli has volunteered locally at the St. Francis House, which works to lift people out of homelessness. She has also donated her time with Soccer Stars, an adaptive program for children with special needs. 

Castelli has maintained a 3.97 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to run at the University of North Carolina this fall.