A year ago, Summit's girls cross country team narrowly kept its historic streak alive when it defeated Crater by two points in the 5A championship meet, marking its 15th consecutive state title.
With three sophomores and a freshman among the Storm's top-four finishers at the state meet, it appeared that the team was nicely set up to continue its dominance in the near future.
But two of those top four are not competing this season, creating a gaping hole for Summit, which had to replace five its top seven runners from 2023.
“We've had some changes,” coach Kari Strang said. “We've had some other athletes that have stepped up to help fill those gaps. We are a brand-new team again this year.”
Despite the lineup turnover, Summit has put together a squad that has a fighting chance to extend the streak in the OSAA championships Nov. 9 at Lane Community College. But the Storm, ranked third in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, must be at peak level to take on challenges from No. 1 Crescent Valley, No. 2 Caldera and No. 4 Crater.
“We're coming in as the underdogs,” Strang said. “I'm trying to sell it. We haven't gotten to have that sensation in a long time. We're going to give it everything we have, but we are very aware of how difficult it's going to be. To be honest, it's also super exciting.”
Summit returned its top two finishers from the state meet in juniors Eva Dicharry and Skye Knox, who placed seventh and 10th, respectively. And the Storm is getting a huge boost from junior Sophie Capozzi, who has become the team's top runner after shedding a knee brace that slowed her last season.
Capozzi had the No. 3 time in 5A this season behind Crescent Valley senior Emily Wisniewski and Caldera sophomore Maddie Carney. Dicharry is No. 8 and Knox is No. 9.
It's been a breakout year for Capozzi, who has clocked 17:35.1 over 5,000 meters, a huge jump from her best of 20:37.9 during the high school season last year. She gave a glimpse of what was to come in last year's NXR Regional meet, one week after state, when she ran without the brace for the first time and finished in 19:12.2.
“I think that race was what kind of flashed the light, and she knew, 'Hey, it's going to be worth it,'” Strang said.
Capozzi wore the brace to treat a growth condition that was causing knee pain.
“When she was cleared to remove the brace, the whole world opened up to her,” Strang said. “She really has embraced it. I don't think she takes any of it for granted. After seeing how hard of a struggle it was for her, it's been really fun to see her be able to realize her full potential.”
Strang said that Knox, whose two older sisters (Teaghan, Ainslie) were on Summit title teams, and Dicharry are veteran runners who have shown they can perform under pressure. It's a burden that the Storm annually carries.
“They willingly put themselves into such high-pressure situations,” Strang said. “These aren't NBA players making millions of dollars, they're just kids. That's the double-edged sword of being a part of this team. It comes with pressure in the sense of responsibility.”
Three runners from last year's team aren't competing this season in junior Taylin Bowen (13th at state), sophomore Elizabeth Connolly (17th at state) and junior Kersle Knoll (31st at state). Bowen is not competing for personal reasons and Connolly is recovering from a severe ankle injury that she suffered from stepping into a hole at Steens Mountain Running Camp in the summer.
Two newcomers have stepped into the Summit's fourth and fifth spots in senior Dailey Arnold, a JV runner the last two seasons, and freshman Abby Carpenter. Arnold is No. 26 and Carpenter No. 30 in 5A this season.
Before state, the Storm must face Caldera in the Intermountain Conference district meet Wednesday at Big Sky Park in Bend. Summit has finished ahead of the Wolfpack in all five head-to-head races this season, but only by one point in the last two meetings, Nike Portland XC and the Oxford Classic.
“What Caldera has been able to do the past couple of years, it's great to see them coming for us,” Strang said. “They have us nervous and training that much harder. We actually welcome that.”
Summit has faced Crescent Valley twice this season, finishing behind the Raiders on both occasions, by two points in the Caldera Wolfpack XC on Sept. 14 and by 17 points in the Rose City Invite on Oct. 11.
