@fullname - @season - Cross Country - South Dakota State University Athletics

Kayla Christopherson

Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Austin, Minn.
High School:
Lyle-Pacelli H.S.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES:
- Cross Country All-Summit League Second Team honors (2024)
- Cross Country Summit League Academic All-Team (2024)

CAREER RESULTS
(Cross Country PBs)
5k - 17:42.0
6k - 21:23.4

2024-25:
OUTDOOR: Competed in four meets... PRed in the 3000S at 10:28.18 and PRed in the 1500m at 4:30.35 at the Bryan Clay Invitational (4/17)... Won the 3000S with a time of 10:43.82 at the Summit League Outdoor Championship (5/15).
INDOOR: Competed in six meets with six top-five finishes... Finished third in the 1000m with a personal record of 2:54.72 before assisting the women's 4x400m team to a third-place finish with a combined time of 3:56.14 at the SDSU Open (1/31)... PRed in the mile with a time of 4:56.16 to finish fourth at the SDSU Classic (2/14)... Assisted the DMR to a first-place finish with a combined time of 11:47.13 and ran a mile time of 4:56.62 to take ninth at the Summit League Indoor Championships (3/1).
CROSS COUNTRY: Competed in six meets... Opened the season with a 5K PR of 17:42.0 to take 14th at the Augustana Twilight (9/6)... Took 12th at the SDSU Classic with a 6K time of 21:59.0 (10/4)... Clocked a 21:37.1 6K at the Summit League Championships to finish 13th (11/2)... Ended the season with a 21:35.4 6K time at the NCAA Midwest Regionals (11/15).

2023-24:
OUTDOOR: Placed 20th in the 3000S with a time of 11:27.02 at the Wash U Distance Carnival (3/29)... Placed runner-up in the 3000S with a time of 11:07.08 at the USD Early Bird (4/5)... Took 13th in the 1500m with a PR of 4:46.78 at the St. Thomas Joe Sweeney Invitational (5/1)... PRed in the 3000S with a time of 10:52.71 to take fifth at the Summit League Outdoor Championships (5/11).
INDOOR: Did not compete
CROSS COUNTRY: Did not compete

2022-23:
OUTDOOR: Appeared in only one meet due to injury…competed at the Emporia State Relays, running a personal best time of 4:50.40 for 11^th in the 1500 and won the 3000 steeplechase in 11:17.31
INDOOR: Ran a personal best 17:54.80 in the 5000 for 10^th and took 10^th in the 3000 with a 10:22.22 at conference championships…clocked a 5:06.83 in the mile for a PR at SDSU Indoor Classic…took seventh at ISU Classic in 3000 with a personal best 10:02.73
CROSS COUNTRY: Finished 22^nd at the Summit League Championships…Ran 21:53.6 at the NCAA Midwest Regional for 6000 meters to finish in 113^th…Finished 5^th at SDSU Classic covering 5,000 meters in 18:56.7.

2021-22:
OUTDOOR: Finished 4^th at the Summit League Championships in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in a time of 11:07.01…Won her first ever steeplechase race at the Emporia State Relays in a time of 11:23.40…Ran personal bests in the 1500 meters (4:51.89) and the 5,000 meters (18:00.13) at meets at USD.
INDOOR: She ran significant personal bests at the SDSU Classic, running 5:18.77 in the mile and 10:26.98 in the 3,000 meters.
CROSS COUNTRY: She finished 25^th at the Summit League Championships helping the team to the league title…Ran a season best 6,000 meters at the Bradley Pink Classic in a time of 22:46.4…Her best 5,000 meters came at the Briar Cliff Invite in a time of 18:48.8.

2020-21:
OUTDOOR: Did not compete.
INDOOR: Competed in four meets participating in the mile and 3,000 meters...clocked a season best time of 10:54.60 at the UND Open in the 3,000 meters.
CROSS COUNTRY: Did not compete.

2019-20:
OUTDOOR: Season canceled
INDOOR: raced 7 times, including four 1 mile races, lowering her mark each time she covered the distance, which allowed her to finish the season with a lifetime best of 5:19.98 at the SDSU Last Chance Meet (Feb 21)… had impressive showings in the 3000 at the Jim Emmerich Invitational (Jan 25) running 10:53.21…and the SDSU Indoor Classic, (Feb 14) clocking her lifetime best of 10:51.14.
CROSS COUNTRY: Ran six races in her first season as a Jackrabbit, highlighted by season and lifetime best marks of 18:45.6 for 5k at the University of North Dakota’s Ron Pynn Classic (Oct 19) and 22:53.9 for 6k at the Summit League Conference Championship Meet (Nov 2) where she was the 30th individual to cross the finish line.

BEFORE SDSU: Six-time cross country state meet participant...two-time state meet participant in track and field...member of state championship winning basketball team at Lyle-Pacelli H.S....five-time all-state honoree in cross country...two-time all-state in track and field... member of National Honor Society... class salutatorian.