Oregon high school cross country 2023: Districts recap, state preview
The Oregon high school cross country state championships take place Saturday in all classifications. (Photo by Taylor Balkom)
Where: Lane Community College, Eugene
Meet schedule: 2A/1A boys, 10 a.m.; 3A/2A/1A girls, 10:35 a.m.; 3A boys, 11:10 a.m.; 4A girls, 11:45 a.m.; 4A boys, 12:20 p.m.; 5A girls, 1:45 p.m.; 5A boys, 2:20 p.m.; 6A girls, 2:55 p.m.; 6A boys, 3:30 p.m.
Course records: Boys—14:30.4, Evan Holland, Ashland (2019). Girls—17:26, Ella Donaghu, Grant (2015), and Ember Stratton, Sunset (2016).
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CLASS 6A GIRLS
Defending champion
Jesuit
Returning placers
2, Ella McGillis, Central Catholic, senior; 3, Maura O’Scannlain, Jesuit, junior; 4, Keira Saavedra, Lincoln, senior; 5, Liliana Hudnut, Jesuit, senior; 6, Nelida Dalgas, North Salem, sophomore. 8, Sabine Kim, Tigard, senior; 9, Josie Fale, Ida B. Wells, senior.
District champions
PIL: Lincoln; Ellery Lincoln, freshman
Metro: Jesuit; Emma Bennett, Jesuit, junior
Pacific: Sherwood; Anna Grunow, Sherwood, junior
Mt. Hood: Central Catholic; McGillis
Three Rivers: Lakeridge; Chloe Huyler, Lakeridge, junior
Central Valley: West Salem; Delgas
Southwest: South Eugene; Elizabeth McCart, South Eugene, junior
Overview
With Bennett, last year’s 800- and 1,500-meter champion, back 100% healthy after tendinitis hampered her sophomore cross country season, the Crusaders look to defend their title against Lincoln, which beat them at the Hole in the Wall Invitational in early October led by Ellery Lincoln, who has run 17:21 this season.
The individual race will be wide open with the absence of last year’s champion, Lake Oswego junior Ana Peters. Huyler, McGillis, Lincoln, Bennett and Dalgas figure to set the pace — Huyler is a transfer from Sage Ridge in Reno, Nevada, where she broke 1A state records in the 1,600 and 3,200 in May and was an All-American in the mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. She never ran cross country before this year, focusing instead on soccer.
CLASS 6A BOYS
Defending champion
Jesuit
Returning placers
4, Jack Meier, West Salem, senior; 8, Caden Swanson, Jesuit, senior
District champions
PIL: Franklin; Asher Danielson, Ida B. Wells, senior
Metro: Jesuit; Swanson
Pacific: Sherwood; Dylan Weniger, Sherwood, junior
Mt. Hood: Central Catholic; Kai Miles, Nelson, senior
Three Rivers: Paul Hretcanu, Tigard, freshman
Central Valley: West Salem; Meier
Southwest: South Eugene; Malachi Schoenherr, Sheldon, sophomore
Overview
Jesuit, Franklin and Central Catholic have combined to win every state title since 2012, and those three teams should jostle for the top position again this fall. Swanson and sophomore Matthew Wroblewski were top-20 finishers for Jesuit last year, and junior Brennan McEwen is the Lightning’s top returner (22nd).
Danielson, Meier, Swanson and Franklin junior Zafer Courcelle should form the lead pack. Danielson beat Meier by nine seconds at last month’s Rose City Championship.
CLASS 5A GIRLS
Defending champions
Summit; Emily Wisniewski, Crescent Valley, junior
Returning placers
1, Wisniewski; 3, Lindsay Siebert, Crater, senior; 5, Emma West, Crater, junior; 6, Lillian Weiss, Crescent Valley, sophomore
District champions
NWOC: Wilsonville; MacKenzie Bigej, Canby, junior
Mid-Willamette: Crescent Valley; Wisniewski
Midwestern: Crater; Artana Nice, North Eugene, senior
Intermountain: Summit; Eva Dicharry, Summit, sophomore
Overview
Summit’s run of 14 consecutive state championships between 5A and 6A is in jeopardy this year thanks to the ascendence of Crescent Valley, led by Wisniewski, who has the course record of 17:26 squarely in her sights. The Storm defeated the Raiders in their only head-to-head meeting at Rose City, and with sophomores Eva Dicharry and Skye Knox leading the way, they’ll put up a spirited defense against Crescent Valley and Crater.
Wisniewski ran 17:58 to repeat as champion last year, and she has run 64 seconds faster over 5K this season than anyone else in the field. Bigej — a soccer standout who will be jetting from Eugene to Wilsonville for the Cougars’ quarterfinal match after the race — Weiss, Nice and the Comets duo of West and Siebert should make up the second-place pack.
CLASS 5A BOYS
Defending champion
Crater
Returning placers
6, Josiah Tostenson, Crater, junior; 8, Caleb Doddington, Crater, senior; 9, Tayvon Kitchen, Crater, junior; 10, Shaun Garnica, Crater, senior
District champions
NWOC: Hood River Valley; Liam Wilde, Wilsonville, junior
Mid-Willamette: Corvallis; Ty Cirino, Central, junior
Midwestern: Crater; Kitchen
Intermountain: Summit; Noah Laughlin-Hall, Summit, senior
Overview
The Comets posted the lowest point total since 2014 in romping to the title last year, and even without Tyrone Gorze, they have the depth to challenge their 30-point total of a year ago.
Their top four runners — Tostenson, Doddington, Kitchen and Garnica — should be in the hunt for the individual title as well. Laughlin-Hall, Cirino, Summit junior Hayden Boaz and Caldera sophomore Mason Morical will be their top challengers.
CLASS 4A GIRLS
Defending champion
La Grande
Returning placers
2, Cecilia Villagomez, La Grande, junior; 3, Emily Tubbs, La Grande, senior; 4, Brooke Perry, La Grande, sophomore; 5, Adele Beckstead, Philomath, junior; 7, Alaina Casady, The Dalles, junior; 8, Isabela Coffman, Klamath Union, senior; 9, Keira Welch, Henley, sophomore; 10, Sofia Kaaen, Baker, junior
District champions
Cowapa: Tillamook; Brooke Bush, Tillamook, freshman
Tri-Valley: The Dalles; Casady
Oregon West: Philomath; Ana Candanoza, Philomath, sophomore
Sky Em: Cottage Grove; Libby Fox, Junction City, junior
Skyline: Klamath Union; Coffman
Greater Oregon: La Grande; Villagomez
Overview
La Grande returns its big three of Villagomez, Tubbs and Perry, but Philomath enters the meet a slight favorite because of the strength of its pack led by Candanoza (17th at state last fall) and Beckstead.
The individual race should come down to those five along with Casady and Coffman. Last year’s sixth-place finisher, Molalla’s Anika Jenson, didn’t advance out of her district meet.
CLASS 4A BOYS
Defending champion
The Dalles
Returning placers
6, Carter Bengtson, Cottage Grove, junior; 7, Connor Brown, Newport, junior; 8, Carter Harmon, Klamath Union, senior
District champions
Cowapa: Tillamook; Taiki Ogawa, Scappoose, senior
Tri-Valley: Crook County; Tyson Long, The Dalles, sophomore
Oregon West: Newport; Finn Collson, Newport, junior
Sky Em: Cottage Grove; Bengtson
Skyline: Phoenix; Samuel Iversen, Henley, senior
Greater Oregon: Baker; Daniel Brown, Baker, junior
Overview
Newport won the Oregon West district title to qualify as a team for the first time since 2018. Now, the Cubs take aim at a first state championship boasting three juniors — Brown, Collson and Noah Larsen — in the top 15 on the season list.
Iversen defeated Phoenix senior Kael Feeley and Harmon at the Skyline district meet to join the conversation of individual contenders with the Newport trio, Long (40th in 2022) and Bengtson.
CLASS 3A/2A/1A GIRLS
Defending champions
Enterprise; Daisy Lalonde, East Linn Christian, junior
Returning placers
1, Lalonde; 2, Lauren Tittel, Oregon Episcopal, junior; 3, Jaya Simmons, Valley Catholic, junior; 4, Delaney Draeger, Vernonia, senior; 5, Sophie Schoolmeester, Banks, sophomore; 6, Sydney White, Burns, sophomore; 9, Morgan Matthews, Oregon Episcopal, senior; 10, Lily Nichols, Heppner, sophomore
District champions
District 1: Oregon Episcopal; Simmons
District 2: Kennedy; Lalonde
District 3: Union; Nichols
District 4: Siuslaw; Alison Hughes, Siuslaw, sophomore
Overview
Oregon Episcopal won its only state championship in 1988, but the Aardvarks are the odds-on favorite to take home the blue trophy this weekend. Tittel, Matthews and sophomore Evelyn Peters have three of the 10 fastest times in the class this season.
Lalonde beat Tittel by 11½ seconds last fall to become her school’s first state champion. Simmons has run the fastest time in the field this season as the only harrier to break 18 minutes.
CLASS 3A BOYS
Defending champion
Siuslaw
Returning placers
4, Trevor Stewart, Vale, senior; 8, Morgan Amano, Valley Catholic, senior; 9, Diego Zambrano, Santiam Christian, sophomore
District champions
District 1: Valley Catholic; Amano
District 2: Harrisburg; Zambrano
District 3: Sisters; Stewart
District 4: Siuslaw; Brayden Linton, Siuslaw, senior
Overview
With Amano and junior Peter Davis leading the way, the Valiants hope to make up the 23-point gap on Siuslaw and win their fourth state title and first since 2016. The Vikings return Linton (13th) and junior Dylan Jensen (20th) to lead their title defense.
Amano struggled for much of the season but knocked off state leader Jayden Warner, a Warrenton sophomore, to win the district title. Those two should be part of the lead pack along with Stewart, Zambrano, Linton and Enterprise sophomore Jonah Lyman.
CLASS 2A/1A BOYS
Defending champion
Knappa
Returning placers
2, Grady Greenwood, Heppner, senior; 5, Eli Williams, Union, senior; 8, Joshua Peterson, Knappa, junior
District champions
District 1: Knappa; Peterson
District 2: Monroe; Jonathan Kintz, Kennedy, senior
District 3: Union; Greenwood
District 4: Reedsport; Curtiss Heier, Illinois Valley, junior
Overview
The Loggers edged Union by two points in the meet’s closest finish last year, and it should be just as razor-thin a margin this fall. Each team has a dynamic duo — Peterson and sophomore Wyatt Jacobson (12th) for Knappa, and Williams and junior Nathanael O’Reilly (14th) for the Bobcats — so it will come down to how well each team’s fourth and fifth runners fare when the field strings out.
Greenwood and Williams put on a thrilling duel at the district meet, with the Mustangs senior winning by less than three seconds. He hopes to keep the state title in the family after Trevor Nichols won last year.
