On Oct. 26, 2019, it was a rainy and windy day at the Star Valley View Golf Course in Afton, Wyoming.
But Sydney Thorvaldson was on a mission. From the beginning, the junior went straight to the front to set the pace.
As the raced progressed, Thorvaldson continued to add separation to the rest of the field. Cody's Riley Smith was trailing about a minute behind Thorvaldson. Smith's teammate Baylee Stafford, meanwhile, led a mini-pack of runners in the proceeding chase pack.
At the finish line, Thorvaldson stopped the clock in 17:32.70. Smith finished in second with a 19:25.40 and her teammate Stafford finished in third at 20:07.50.
Cody won the 3A state title with 52 points with an average time of 20:27. The split between Smith and the fifth runner was 1:44.
Thorvaldson finished the season as the sith-fastest runner -- she ran 16:40.60 at the Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational earlier that season.
Later in the year, Thorvaldson won the Team Northwest Regional and finished third overall at Team Cross Country Nationals.
3A GIRLS 5000 METER RUN FINALS ALL RESULTS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT POINTS 1 Sydney Thorvaldson 11 Rawlins High School 17:32.70 1 2 Riley Smith 11 Cody High School 19:25.40 2 3 Baylee Stafford 12 Cody High School 20:07.50 3 4 Eve Mavy 10 Star Valley High School 20:14.20 4 5 Kendall Tietjen 10 Buffalo High School 20:19.70 5