Photo by Jason Duchow Photography
Teagan Dieter:
An honor-roll student at Lake Pend Oreille High School, Teagan Dieter has maintained a 3.6 GPA and balances it all with his passion for cross country and track.
“My freshman year, I ran a 3-mile race for Sandpoint High School cross-country team in 19.51 minutes,” said Teagan, who was honored as one of the team’s top 400-meter runners and also received an academic award at the end-of-season banquet.
One aspect of running that Teagan enjoys is being part of a team. “It’s a great feeling to be part of the SHS track and field,” said Teagan. “I can do better every time, and being cheered on gives me adrenaline and encouragement to obtain a personal record.”
Currently a junior, Teagan plans to attend college and pursue a career as a Fish and Game warden and study forestry. As for track, he plans to continue that at the collegiate level as well.
One of his coaches, Angie Brass, praised Teagan. “He is a tough, hard-working athlete,” said Brass. “He has a quiet strength and is a determined, team-centered athlete.”
Teagan shares that running is a very challenging sport, both physically and mentally. “You have to tell yourself every day that you can do it, and don’t give up,” he said. “Do your absolute best. Take advantage of recovery days, allowing your muscles to recover from harder workouts. This is philosophy for life—push yourself to succeed.”
To “do it right every time” is one of the lessons that his coaches have instilled in him.
“We don’t do it the easy way; we do it the right way. This applies to whatever you do,” said Teagan.
Photo by Lou Graham
Katherine Kaul:
A junior at Sandpoint High School, Katherine Kaul has been on the varsity cross-country team for three seasons—a sport she said is her favorite—and also participates in basketball and track.
Katherine was named the 2016 District 1 Cross-Country Runner of the Year and is a three-time state medalist for cross country. But it’s not just in athletics where Katherine succeeds. She has an unweighted GPA of 4.0 and said she enjoys all the opportunities for AP and honors courses at SHS.
Looking ahead, Katherine plans to major in biology with a focus on research. “I am interested in medical research and genetics because both of these areas have plenty of opportunities for further scientific discovery,” she said.
Katherine has had to overcome the challenge of injuries during her years as a runner. As a freshman, she suffered a stress fracture in her foot and also had a pelvic avulsion fracture during the first track meet her freshman year.
“During my sophomore track season, my hip started bothering me again. Thankfully I did not break it this time, but I was still unable to run at the end of the season,” said Katherine. The injuries taught her patience and gave her a greater appreciation for each opportunity she has to run.
Katherine shared that she has learned that, in order to achieve her goals, she has to work hard every day and stay focused on the task at hand even through challenging times.
“This will serve me well throughout the rest of my life,” she said