Often there's that sibling rivalry where one wants to be better than the other, well when it comes to Lilyan and Tayla Hurner, they both want to see the other succeed whether it be on the course or in the classroom.
October 24, 2025 on the Kearney Country Club 5,000-meter course, marked the 2025 NSAA State Cross Country Championships where the Wayne girls qualified as a team and also featured both the Hurner sisters.
Both highlighted their time at state.
Lilyan said it was 'surreal', "I have always loved the environment at the state meet because so many people are there supporting everybody, and everybody is so positive and ecstatic."
Tayla added "it was such an unreal and emotional experience."
Lilyan is a senior competing in cross country, basketball and track and field. Other school activities include FFA, Wayne High Green Team, Unified Bowling, Musical, Mock Trial and Art Club.
Tayla is a freshman completing her first year of high school cross country and basketball along with being on the track & field team this spring. Other activities include Art Club and Unified Bowling.
The Wayne girls finished 13th as a team (170 pts) at state and were led by a silver medal from Tayla Hurner (19:30.68) while older sister Lilyan Hurner was the next fastest Blue Devil in 66th (21:56.5).
Lilyan has ran on the state cross country course during the NSAA championships three of her four years in high school and also qualified for the Junior High State Championships twice.
Lilyan was also on Wayne's Class C state championship team in 2022 as a freshman.
Again, Tayla took home second in the Class C girls State Cross Country Championships thanks to her career-best time only behind sophomore Scout Bell (Gothenburg) by 15 seconds.
Tayla qualified in her first varsity state cross country event, but she has also competed twice at the Junior High State Cross Country Championships. She finished runner-up in eighth grade and was seventh in seventh grade at state.
The two sisters will now have a chance to qualify for state this spring on the Blue Devil track & field team.
Find the complete information in the March 12 edition in The Wayne Herald or subscribe today by clicking here.
