On a historically fast Lewis-Clark State College Course at Lewiston Orchards, Rocky Mountain seniors Hallie Heemeyer and Hyrum Tuft swept the 6A girls and boys individual titles in new Idaho all-time bests of 16:29.2 and 14:28.2. Those times also are new all-classification course records for the Lewiston Orchards state course.

Heemeyer, who last month committed to defending NCAA Division I women's cross country national champion BYU, is undefeated this season, winning all seven 5ks she has competed in so far. One of those wins was the Inland Empire Championships on the Lewiston Orchards course on Oct. 4, where she first broke 17 minutes. Prior to this season, Heemeyer had not broken 18 minutes. She led from the gun on Saturday on the fast course to become Rocky Mountain's first girls individual cross country state champion.

"I've always just loved running and I always have a fire to push myself to crazy limits that I don't even think I can, but I love to set big goals and go try to chase them," Heemeyer said.

Adding to the historic moment for Heemeyer was a bit of family history. Her older brother Landon, a 2024 Rocky Mountain graduate, won the 2022 5A boys individual state title at Lewiston Orchards and had held the high school course record until Tuft took it down Saturday.

"Landon has been a great mentor for my whole life," Heemeyer said. "We're best friends."

Boise senior Audrey Orme also broke 17 minutes upon finishing second Saturday in a personal best 16:49.9. Heemeyer, Orme and 2023 Post Falls graduate Annastasia Peters are the only Idaho girls on record to break 17 minutes.

As of Tuesday, Heemeyer's new personal best and Orme's new personal best are the No. 9 and No. 34 fastest girls times in the U.S. this season, per athletic.net.

"She's awesome," Heemeyer said of Orme. "We've competed against each other all through high school. Every time we compete together, it's really been fun."

Junior Brooke Thompson placed fourth in a personal best 17:25 and sophomore Eve Archibald placed fifth in a personal best 17:30.3 to join Heemeyer as medalists for Rocky Mountain, which won a second consecutive 6A girls team state title and entered Saturday as the No. 27 ranked girls team in the U.S. by DyeStat. Rocky Mountain is also defending Nike Cross Regionals Northwest (NXR) girls team champion, and the Grizz will next turn their attention to preparing for this year's NXR meet scheduled for Nov. 15 at its new location in Spokane. The meet previously took place at Eagle Island State Park for almost two decades.

Rocky Mountain head coach Jeff Howard said the Eagle Island Invite on Sept. 20, where Boise beat the Rocky Mountain girls, was a turning point for the Grizz. He credited the girls team for taking it upon themselves to schedule get togethers and bonding opportunities outside of practices, and to communicate to every runner that they matter.

"'You're loved and cared about regardless of finish,'" Howard said of that message. "There's been a lot going on behind the scenes. Their identity has been this poignant jump (together)."

Tuft had never broken 15 minutes before Saturday, but had broken 16 minutes in every race this season.

As of Tuesday, Tuft's new personal best is the No. 8 fastest boys time in the U.S. this season, per athletic.net.

"For him to go from 16:25 as a freshman to 14:28 this year...just a great kid," Howard said.

He was part of a competitive lead pack in Saturday's 6A boys race with numerous Coeur d'Alene runners, ultimately taking the win over Coeur d'Alene junior Wyatt Carr with about 100 meters left to the finish. The top nine finishers all broke 15 minutes in the 6A boys race.

Tuft is Rocky Mountain's first boys individual state champion since Landon Heemeyer three years ago.

Tuft said last month's Inland Empire Championship reminded him of the importance of respecting your competition, and it gave him an introduction to the fast state meet course.

"I knew I was fit, and I knew I could run really fast with this competition," Tuft said. "I knew I could run fast. it was more to me just about, like, knowing anyone can run fast and at the end of the day it's just whoever wants it most and whoever can fight the hardest."

Tuft said he was thinking about Landon Heemeyer and 2023 Rocky Mountain graduate Tyler Sainsbury as he competed Saturday, the examples they set for him and the example he strives to be now as a senior.

"I think Landon and Ty did a really good job of that, and I was thinking about that on the course," Tuft said. "Just like, this is where my brothers fought and won and conquered, so I want to do the same and set that example."

Tuft added that he was happy with more than just his individual title and time on Saturday.

"Obviously 14:28 is a great time, but I think more specifically, I've put in the work I've wanted to, I've become the person I want to," Tuft said. "Whether I ran that time or not I've done what I need to do to be the person I want to be with this sport."

Coeur d'Alene won a third consecutive boys state title, their second in 6A, getting sub-15 times from four runners. The Vikings entered Saturday ranked No. 3 in the U.S. by DyeStat and as two-time Nike Cross Northwest Regional boys champions. Junior Wyatt Carr placed second in 14:31.3, sophomore Rowan Henry placed third in 14:38.9, senior Mitchell Rietze placed fifth in 14:47.4, sophomore Wyatt Morgenstern placed sixth in 14:48.2 and junior Gabe Heule placed 14th in 15:07.1 to medal for the Vikings.

Carr and sophomore Coeur d'Alene teammate Rowan Henry now have the No. 16 and No. 39 fastest boys times in the U.S. this season, per athletic.net.

"Rowan Henry, the way he ran was unbelievable," said Coeur d'Alene head coach Emry Carr. "We have a strong team from top to bottom."

"It was a tough race, but it was a good race," added Wyatt Carr. "We worked together those first two miles then started to string out. I really tried to make a decisive move with about a K out and ended up being about 50 meters short. I gave it everything I had so that's all you can ask for."

Like the Rocky Mountain girls, Coeur d'Alene will next turn its attention to Nike Cross Regionals Northwest in two weeks.

Coeur d'Alene's mantra this season has been 'We before me,' which was printed on the back of sweatshirts worn by the team and coaches on Saturday.

Coach Carr was emotional as he explained how the Vikings have embraced and lived their mantra this season.

"The way they trust each other, the way they get better every single day, there's nothing but love between them," he said. "It's a beautiful thing."

District rivals Idaho Falls and Skyline won the 5A girls and boys team titles, respectively. Senior Jaycee Jensen moved up from fourth place to second with 400 meters to go to finish in a personal best 18:04.7, sophomore Eliza Peck placed eighth in a personal best 18:32.1 and senior Tess Eddington placed 15th in a personal best 18:47.5 to medal for Idaho Falls, which won the title over defending champion Twin Falls for its second girls title in program history. The first one was in 4A in 2019.

Idaho Falls head coach Alan McMurtrey got choked up describing the moment.

"I don't think they realize how special of a day it was for us," McMurtrey said of his girls team. "Every team and every season has its own journey. This is just a special one because it is just the second one the girls have ever won. I don't think a lot of people believed we could do it, but this group of girls did."

Jensen had much to celebrate on Saturday. Her time made her I.F's fastest girls cross country on record, as she beat 2023 graduate and former teammate Elanor Eddington's personal best 18:21 (which was also recorded in Lewiston). Her second place finish is believed to be the best individual finish by an Idaho Falls girl since two-time individual champion Christine Kohler in 1995. Additionally, Saturday was just her third race back after missing nearly a month due to injury. While competing at the Tiger-Grizz Invitational on Sept. 12, which Idaho Falls co-hosts with Skyline, Jensen suffered a hip flexor injury. She was unable to run, cross train or compete for three weeks, then rejoined her team Oct. 11 at Nike Hole in the Wall in Washington, where she ran a then personal best time. She described those three weeks as 'the hardest thing I've ever gone through.'

She received good luck messages last week leading up to state, including from former teammates and former competitors such as 2024 Skyline graduate Nelah Roberts, and she wrote those messages on her arms Saturday, literally carrying those well wishes with her as she ran.

While there was a bit of a wait to determine official 5A results due to timing issues, Jensen expressed genuine joy once the results were final.

"Oh my gosh, yes. It was amazing," Jensen said of receiving word Idaho Falls won. "I couldn't ask for a better way to end my senior season than to win as a team. We were ranked third (entering state). Every single one of us PRed, which is incredible."

Junior Davis Roberts placed third place in a personal best 15:06.4, senior Alexander Renna placed fourth place in 15:10.9 and junior Will McCombs placed ninth in a personal best 15:31.2 to medal for Skyline, which won back-to-back boys state championships for the first time in program history and a third overall title.

"We trusted in the work we put in," Renna said. "We had the focus and the drive and put in the work."

"We go on long runs together, we tell jokes together," Davis said of the Skyline boys. "I'm super excited for our team. Our coaches have helped us a lot."

While Renna and Davis acknowledged the nerves that came with race day, Skyline head coach Sean Schmidt said he didn't experience any nerves for his team.

"I wasn't nervous because I'm too old to get nervous," Schmidt said. "They set the goal and knew what they needed to do. The rest of it was up to them."

Twin Falls junior Raelee Richardson won a second consecutive 5A girls individual state title in 17:25.3, giving her seven wins this season. She built a commanding lead Saturday and extended it as the race continued, building a significant gap between herself and a group behind her that included Jensen, Pocatello senior Katie Boyle, Bishop Kelly freshman Clare Murphy and Moscow senior Cora Crawford.

Richardson said she was glad to have nearly matched her personal best of 17:24 set a month earlier at Inland Empire on the same course. That time made her Twin Falls' school record holder, taking down three-time individual state champion and 2020 graduate Mattalyn Geddes' time of 17:27.6.

Richardson expressed gratitude for being part of the Bruins program, which she described as full of fun and kindness.

"I feel like I'm really blessed with such an amazing school program," Richardson said. "(My coaches), They're so awesome. They have so many traditions that they do for us. They're just so fun and spunky. My team, I love them so much. We're gonna lose a couple seniors and you know, that's a bummer, but they're so good to me."

Century junior Ethan Hansen got his sixth win of the season Saturday upon running a personal best 14:51.1 to win the 5A boys race. He is Century's first boys individual state champion since Aaron Jenkins in 2007.

"It's definitely very exciting," Hansen said of joining Jenkins as a Century individual state champion. "This season's been really exciting. I've been really happy with how everything's been going. It's really been an amazing year, everything I could hope for."

Hansen will next compete at NXR in two weeks in Spokane and said the goal is to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals in December in Portland.

Sugar-Salem won a second consecutive 4A boys state title. Sophomore Darrel Dickson placed second in a personal best 14:59.3, junior Adam Willis placed seventh in a personal best 15:40.1, sophomore Jaxon Johansen placed 11th in a personal best 16:05.4, sophomore Henry Baker placed 17th in a personal best 16:18.7 and freshman Bradley Dickson placed 18th in a personal best 16:23.5 for the Diggers, who won by single digits over McCall-Donnelly in the very last race of the day.

Timberlake won its first 4A girls state championship since 2011. Junior Lola Eggleston placed third in 18:10.1, senior Vanessa McLachlan placed fourth in a personal best 18:26.2 and senior Malia Miller placed 20th in a personal best 19:36.3 to medal for the Tigers.

McCall-Donnelly junior Charlie Speirs ran a personal best 14:53.1 to win the 4A boys individual state title a year after finishing second. Coeur d'Alene Charter senior Annabelle Carr won a second consecutive 4A girls individual state title in 17:53.5. Carr, who committed to the University of Oregon last month, has only lost to two Idaho runners this season: Heemeyer and Thompson in 6A.

Sugar-Salem head coach Brett Hill, who arrived at Lewiston Orchards at 7 a.m., helped time the meet and also coached his team for the 4A races later in the afternoon. Saturday's boys team title brings his career state title total to 56 combined between track and cross country in coaching stints at Firth and Sugar-Salem high schools.

Hill spoke at length after the 4A boys race with Darrel Dickson, Fruitland junior Landon Hillam (third place finisher in personal best 15:14) and Timberlake junior Jonathan Barnhart (fourth place finisher in personal best 15:20.6). All of those boys, along with Speirs, are underclassmen, and they expressed excitement Saturday about competing against each other in track in the spring.

Hill believes among them is the next boy to break nine minutes for the 3,200 meters.

"This group is the best group of 4A runners I've seen, ever," Hill said. "There's gonna be fast times every time they step on the track."

Dickson said he has enjoyed competing against Speirs, Hillam and Barnhart. Dickson was in the lead one mile into Saturday's race before Speirs went on to pass him later.

"We're just getting faster and faster," said Dickson, who became Sugar-Salem's first boy to break 15 minutes for the 5k with his new personal best Saturday.

Hill also made his way over to the 3A awards to personally congratulate the 3A boys and girls team champions. Malad concluded a historic season with a program first sweep of the 3A boys and girls team titles, winning its first boys title since 1991 and its first girls title since 2001. Both those previous titles were under legendary coach Terry Jones. Hill, a 1985 Malad graduate, was a member of the 1984 Malad boys state champion team under Jones. Sophomore Aezlyn Summers placed seventh in a personal best 19:12.4, junior Kaycee Venable placed 11th in a personal best 19:47.2, sophomore Ellie Angell placed 12th in personal best 19:48.3, sophomore Brielle Bastian placed 14th in a personal best 19:56.7 and sophomore Kallee Talbot placed 16th in a personal best 20:03.5 to all earn medals for the Malad girls, who have no seniors among their seven varsity runners who competed Saturday. The Dragons, who placed fourth at last year's 3A girls state meet, won Saturday's title over defending champion Ririe.

Malad senior Boston Burbidge ran a personal best 15:18.6 to win the 3A boys individual title, becoming the first Malad boys individual cross country state champion since Toby Conley in 1989. Freshman Jace Nalder placed third in a personal best 15:38.1, junior Braun Nalder placed eighth in a personal best 16:06.6, senior Levi Angell placed 12th in a personal best 16:13 also earned medals all medaled for the Dragons. Malad placed second to Ririe at last year's state meet and the two teams swapped those spots Saturday in the final standings.

The 3A girls individual state title also went to eastern Idaho as Ririe senior Lucy Boone ran a personal best 18:05.3 to win her eighth meet this season of the nine on her schedule. Boone is Ririe's first girls individual cross country champion since Christy Luthy in 2000.

Boone, who twice accomplished her goal of breaking 19 minutes this season, said she was more excited for Saturday than she has felt for a race in a while. She added that Ririe's accomplishments as a team mean more to her than individual victories. In four years, she has competed in four consecutive state meets and contributed to three state second-place trophies and a state championship trophy for the Bulldogs.

"I think winning individually is cool and everything, but it doesn't even amount to how awesome it is to win with the team," Boone said. "You've been working all year super hard with all these girls and then seeing it finally play out the way you wanted it to is really cool. There's no words to describe it."

Victory Charter completed a sweep of the 2A boys and girls team titles, claiming the boys title for the first time since 2022 and winning a second consecutive girls title. The Vipers had six girls finish in the top 10 for a score of 21, the lowest score of the day for any boys or girls team from any classification. Sophomore Alyssa Hust won the individual title in a personal best 18:29.03 with Vipers teammate, junior Libby Stockett, finishing right behind her in second place in a personal best 18:40.25. The win made Hust the first Victory Charter girls individual cross country state champion in program history. Freshman Annika Snyder placed seventh in a personal best 19:18.63 sophomore Alyssa Lee placed eighth in a personal best 19:20.04 and junior Lydia Brewer placed ninth in a personal best 19:26.81 to also earn medals.

Sophomore JD Willey placed third in a personal best 16:11.1, senior Caleb Schlerf placed 10th in 16:45.5, freshman Eli Baker placed 13th in 16:58.6 and freshman Santiago Pena placed 17th in 17:06.7 to medal for the Victory Charter boys in their team win.

John Henry Crapuchettes, a Logos senior, ran a personal best 15:41.6 to win the 2A boys individual title and become the first individual boys cross country state champion since 2015 graduate Paul Ryan.