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 a big move in the middle of that year, 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.
Track season of 2024 was a change of pace. I ran many different events, from the regular 1600 and 3200, to the 4x100 and 4x400. I also competed in the pentathalon at one meet, which included shot put, disc, long jump, 200m, and 800m. I won both running events, and finished 2nd 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. One of my favorite moments in Cross Country and Track season is seeing my teammates succeed. 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 plan to obtain a biomedical engineering degree while in college. I scored a 33 on my ACT in March of 2024, and I plan to take it once more in December.
I am an active member in my local 4-H club and FFA chapter. My SAE (supervised agriculture experience) for FFA is a podcast where I interview people in different agriculture-related professions, edit, and release episodes. I was 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 powerlifting, where I am a three-time state medalist, and Scholars Bowl, where I am team captain. The summer of 2023, I organized a Summer Running Club for people in the community.
The summer of 2024 was extremely busy. I attended the Smarter Training for Faster Running Cross Country Camp. I learned much about cross country and proper training that I will be implementing in my summer training. Two days after I got back from this camp, I went on a camping trip that I organized for my cross country team. I also attended a biomedical engineering camp and my school's Leadership group took a trip to South Dakota.
Talk to you soon!
