It is pretty rare in the world of sports to have the same teammate for more than a couple years. 

Summit High School class of 2020 graduates Jeremiah Vaille and Max Bonenberger have broken the typical teammate time frame, being part of the same team for the last 12 years. 

The two distance runners first became teammates when the duo was a part of the Summit Middle School track and cross-country teams during the 2013-14 school year. After running alongside one another through their middle school years, Vaille and Bonenberger continued to be teammates on the cross-country and track teams at Summit High School.

Seven years of being on the same team is a long time, but it was apparently not enough for Vaille and Bonenberger. Upon graduating from Summit, the two runners both moved to Golden in order to be a part of the distance running teams at Colorado School of Mines.

For the better part of five years now, Vaille and Bonenberger have remained teammates, this time not as Tigers, but as Orediggers instead.

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After the departure of senior leaders Max Bonenberger (866) and Jeremiah Vaille (872), seen here at the 2019 Colorado State Championships in Colorado Springs, returning Summit High runners Dom Remeikis (871), Gio Marquez (869), Sam Burke (867) and Zach McBride (870) hope to step up.</figcaption><figcaption>Liz Copan/Summit Daily archive</figcaption>

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After 12 years, Vaille and Bonenberger may have just reached the pinnacle of being teammates with one another, winning a national championship as part of the Colorado School of Mines men’s cross- country team.

Prior to the Orediggers completing a historic year at the national meet, the team competed at the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II South Central Region Championships on Nov. 9.

South Central Region Championships

Taking place at Washington Park in Denver, the Orediggers took to the snow-covered course and absolutely dominated the rest of the field. The Colorado School of Mines’ men’s cross-country team won the 10-kilometer team race by 19 points, scoring a total of 40 points.

Leading the Orediggers was none other than Vaille. Putting together an awe-inspiring performance, the former Tiger crossed the finish line in 31:22 .1 (5:02 .9/mile) to finish fourth overall and be the Orediggers’ top runner on the day.

“I had an amazing race at regionals in Denver,” Vaille said. “It had snowed a bunch, so they plowed most of the course, but there was a 200-meter stretch that we crossed three times that had snow on it. I had a big advantage on that snow. I was able to feel comfortable and recover.”

Bonenberger also had an impressive performance at the regional meet, placing 45th overall in a time of 33:06 .4 (5:19 .7/mile).

National champions together

Two weeks later, Vaille and Bonenberger traveled to Sacramento, California in order to vie for a national title together at the Division II national meet on Saturday, Nov. 23. Although the course was devoid of snow, the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course still posed a challenge for the team as rain and puddles blanketed much of race route.

Vaille and Bonenberger were not seriously hindered by the course conditions, racing hard throughout the 10-kilometer race course and trying to score as few points as possible for the team.

Vaille crossed the finish line as the Orediggers’ sixth runner across the finish line. Vaille finished in a time of 30:28 .5 (4:54 .3/mile) for 37th overall, earning All-American honors.

“Being All-American and winning a team national championship has been my goal for five years,” Vaille said. “To be able to get there with my teammates and feel comfortable through most of the race is really cool because I was running next to a lot of amazing runners that I look up to still.”

Bonenberger was Mines’ seventh runner on the day, placing 100th overall and clocking a time of 31:21 .9 (5:02 .8/mile).

“Individually I didn’t do so well,” Bonenberger said. “I was shooting for top 20, but I was dealing with some sickness and some other issues.”

As Vaille and Bonenberger drifted over the finish line, processed their races and wandered back to team camp, news soon spread that Mines had pulled off the unthinkable. Coming in as underdogs at the national meet, Mines had knocked off Wingate University to claim the 2024 national title by three points.

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<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Colorado School of Mines men’s cross-country team stands atop the awards podium at the Division II cross-country championships in Sacramento, California on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.</figcaption><figcaption>Jeremiah Vaille/Courtesy photo</figcaption>

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“As the scores came in, it was really close and they kept moving,”  Vaille said. “Our score got closer and closer to Wingate. We saw that they stopped moving and realized that we had won. Coach said that we had won and it was just crazy at that point. One of the coolest experiences ever.”

“I was definitely surprised, especially with all the rankings,” Bonenberger said. “Going into it the team knew we had the potential of pulling off an upset. We didn’t look too deep into the rankings because we knew we had the ability to beat that team. Definitely a shock, but I was not super surprised.”

The Summit connection

Not only was the accomplishment special to Vaille and Bonenberger as Orediggers, but it was also testament of how far the two distance runners have come as athletes and teammates since running for Summit.

“It is super cool that we have been running with each other for 13 years or something like that,” Bonenberger said. “It is super cool to have someone there that has the same upbringing and I think that shows just how strong our community is in Summit.”

“I never would have thought that when I started running cross-country in middle school that one day Max and I would be on a team together that would win the national championships,” Vaille said. “Being able to keep running together and keep pushing each other as we trade places of who leads the other in each race is really cool.”

With the cross-country season now over, Vaille and Bonenberger will turn their focus to the indoor and outdoor track seasons. 

Vaille and Bonenberger will both focus on the 3K and 5K race distances indoors. During the outdoor season, Vaille will focus on the 5K and 10K while Bonenberger will stick to his speciality — the steeplechase.