Taylor Peterson '25 Recruiting Profile

Hello! My name is Taylor Peterson, and I run cross country and distance track. I will graduate from Oskaloosa High School in May of 2025. I have run track since 5th grade, and I started running cross country in 7th grade. I initially joined track because my friends were running, but I have found my true passion in cross country. I made varsity team my freshman year, and after I moved, I was on the varsity team as well. My sophomore year was the first time in more than 15 years that my school had a full girl's cross country team. Our cross country team took 3rd at regionals, and qualified for state. In my junior year, I placed 9th in regionals, and my team won regionals, double-qualifying me for state. My team placed 4th in the state, just one spot from the podium.

In November 2023, I ran my first half marathon. My time was 1:53:50, placing me 3rd in the 19 and under girls, 28th female, and 148th out of more than 400 racers overall.

Cross country is one of the most influential parts of my life. I know that I can lean on my teammates, and they know that they can lean on me. I want to run in college to continue my passion and run with people I know I can count on. I have seen how running can bring a group of people together, and I want to see that in college.

While I love running, my education is important too. I have a 4.0 GPA, and have always been a straight-A student. I hope to obtain a biomedical engineering degree while in college. I scored a 30 on my ACT in April of 2023, and I plan to take it again in 2024.

I am an active member in my local 4-H club and FFA chapter. My SAE (supervised agriculture experience) for FFA is a podcast. I interview people in different agriculture-related professions, edit, and release episodes. You can listen to the podcast by searching for Ag for the Uninducted on Spotify, or follow the Instagram page @agfortheuninducted. I am also the Junior Class Treasurer, and I am in the National Honor's Society at my high school. In the winter off-season, I participate in power-lifting, where I am a two-time state medalist. The summer of 2023, I organized a Summer Running Club for people in the community. I plan to do this in 2024 as well.

Talk to you soon!