Hailing from the northern town of Eaton, Colorado, junior Delaney Reuter of Eaton High School enters the season as the reigning 3A cross country state champion, and the favorite to claim the title once again.
Fall 2024: Delaney is coming off a historic sophomore cross country season, winning seven of the eleven
races she entered and landing on the podium in all but one. Her consistency was remarkable.
She not only claimed the 3A Colorado State Championship title in a blazing time of 17:26.90 but also placed 3rd
overall at Nike Southwest Regionals. From there, she went on to finish 24th at Nike Cross
Nationals (3rd among all sophomore girls) and added to her fall with an impressive 5k personal
best of 16:42.87.
We caught up with Delaney to reflect on last fall and look ahead to the upcoming season. "My goals for the fall season are to improve upon my times, overall ability as a runner, and win another state championship," she said. "For the postseason, I hope to qualify for Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland again and have a better performance there." (Pictured to the left: Reuter up front at the Liberty Bell Invitational, Photo Credit: Jen Jardeleza).
Insight: Delaney carried this momentum into the spring 2025 track season, setting personal bests in the 800m, 3000m, 3200m, and 5000m. She claimed the 3A state title in the mile (4:59.18) and placed third in the 800m (2:16.92). Most notably, she finished third at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 5000m, running a blazing PR of 16:24.07. The speed she brings from the track is sure to make her a formidable force on the cross country course this fall.
Beyond competition, Delaney
enjoys a variety of hobbies, sharing, "I enjoy reading, baking, hanging out with friends and
family, spending time outside, hiking, and I love trying new coffee shops and new experiences
overall."
Training: Delaney's training is fairly standard, but she does face some challenges. She explained, "training leading into track was honestly a little tough. I play basketball in the winter, and this past season extended pretty far into the spring, so there was more overlap than usual with track." Being a dual-sport athlete can be demanding, but Delaney still manages to get plenty of running in between both sports. "I was able to get shorter runs in and maybe a few workouts before starting track practice, and our first meet was very soon after that. I felt that the season overall was good in some regards, but I was disappointed with my times in certain races." (Pictured above and to the right: Delaney at Nike National Cross Country Championship, Photo Credit: Jen Jardeleza).
Ending her spring season on a high note has her eager for the upcoming fall cross country
season. "Nike Outdoor Nationals was a great experience and an excellent meet, so that was a
good way to end the season."
Looking Ahead: It's no surprise that Delaney enters the season as the favorite to claim the 3A state title this fall.
As the season unfolds, we will be eager to see the level of competition she brings to every race.
"It feels good to go into the fall as the defending champion," she says. "It gives me confidence
for the upcoming season, but obviously, there are a lot of people who can make huge jumps,
and I have to continue to work hard." With big goals and high level competition on her radar,
Delaney is a clear contender postseason, for the podium at both NXR and NXN. An exciting
season is ahead! (Pictured left: Delaney running at the Nike Outdoor National Championship in the 5k, Photo Credit: Zoe Medranda).
