By JOHN GUNTHER/for OSAAtoday
Crescent Valley senior Emily Wisniewski has had a stellar cross country career, dominating the 5A ranks since her arrival as a freshman, when she earned her first state title.
Last fall, Wisniewski set an all-classifications girls record for the state course at Lane Community College in Eugene when she crossed the line in 17 minutes and 5 seconds.
On Saturday, she can set another standard by becoming the first Oregon girl to win four state titles in cross country. She is favored to win again on a busy day that will see Oregon’s first nine team champions of the new school year crowned over the course of several hours.
To date, Junction City’s Billy Harper is the only Oregon student to win the cross country title every year in high school. He accomplished the feat from 1992-95.
Seven girls have won three times, most recently Summit’s Olivia Brooks, who was second to teammate Hannah Gindlesperger as a freshman in 2013 and then won her other three years.
Sunset’s Eryn Forbes (1975, 1976, 1978), Glendale’s Iris Cripps (1992, 1993, 1994), Coquille’s Amy Nickerson (1995, 1997, 1998), Philomath’s Brianna Anderson-Gregg (2001, 2002, 2003), Jesuit’s Annamarie Maag (2008, 2009, 2010) and Summit’s Megan Fristoe (2009, 2010, 2011) also won three times. South Eugene’s Bill McChesney (1974, 1975, 1976) and Brad Taylor of Oakridge (2003, 2004, 2005) were boys also winning three times.
Wisniewski’s race Saturday will be compelling both because of her quest for four titles and because her Raiders will be among teams hoping to stop Summit’s long run of girls state team titles.
Summit has won every OSAA sponsored state meet since beating Crater for its first girls title in 2008.
This year, Crater, Crescent Valley and Summit’s new neighbor in Bend Caldera will be trying to dethrone the Storm.
Crater was just ahead of Summit in the final OSAA coaches poll and just missed ending the Storm’s streak last year, when Summit edged the Comets 64-66 in the state meet. Crater’s Emma West and Brynn Davenport have the fourth- and fifth-best times in 5A this fall and West was fourth in last year’s state meet.
Crescent Valley edged Summit and Caldera in the Caldera Wolfpack XC invitational in September, the only time the Raiders went against the two Bend schools and Summit edged Caldera in the Intermountain Conference district meet when the two teams combined to have the first 13 finishers.
Summit’s Sophia Capozzi beat Caldera’s Maddie Carney in the district meet.
Last year’s runner-up, Canby’s MacKenzie Bigej, also returns and is among the runners hoping to keep Wisniewski from making history Saturday.
The entire day should be filled with outstanding individual and team races.
The 6A girls individual race features the only Oregon runner to beat Wisniewski this year, favorite Chloe Huyler.
The Lakeridge senior has a season-best time of 16:32, which suggests she might be able to knock off the course record Wisniewski set at Lane Community College last fall.
The race also features defending state champion Emma Bennett of Jesuit, runner-up Ellery Lincoln of Lincoln and third-place finisher Nelida Dalgas of North Salem, who has the second-best time behind Huyler.
The team race also should be close between Jesuit and Lincoln, which had a slight edge over the Crusaders in the final coaches poll. Last year, Jesuit edged the Cardinals for the title.
In the 4A girls race, Philomath will be looking to repeat as champions and carries the top ranking in the coaches poll into the meet led by Adele Beckstead, one of four seniors who were part of last year’s title team along with Melea Lattin, Hanna McDaniel and Hallie Morrison.
La Grande returns the top two finishers from last year’s state meet, champion Cecilia Villagomez and runner-up Brooke Perry.
The 3A-2A-1A girls race features the past two individual state champions — East Linn Christian’s Daisy Lalonde won two years ago and Valley Catholic’s Jaya Simmons was champion last fall.
Lalonde is unbeaten in her senior season, which has included several big meets. She has the top time this fall (17:39) followed by Oregon Episcopal’s Lauren Tittel (17:43) and Simmons (17:43) and Lalonde beat both Simmons and Tittel in the Northwest Classic and also topped Tittel in the Harrier Classic. In the Champs Invite, she handed Coquille freshman Ella Henthorn her only loss, beating the Red Devil by 19 seconds.
Simmons got momentum for the state meet by beating Tittel and Sophie Schoolmeester of Banks to win the District 1 title last week.
Oregon Episcopal topped the final coaches poll as it aims to repeat the state title it won last year. Among the other contenders is the No. 2-ranked Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa squad that has done most of its racing on the east side of the state and is the only squad in the classification with five different girls who have run under 20 minutes this fall.
The boys races could feature some standout team battles, though some traditional powers are also expected to win.
After Franklin broke through for the 6A title last year, Jesuit is favored to return to the top of the mountain, ranked first in the coaches poll.
Sherwood’s Dyoan Weniger has the top time in the state and Franklin’s Zafer Courcelle is the top returning placer after finishing third last year, but none of the other teams appears to have the depth of Jesuit led by four juniors in the top 20 of the season rankings — Kellen Williams (ninth), Matthew Wroblewski (10th), Jackson Welsh (12th) and Brayden Fletcher (19th).
Crater is an overwhelming favorite to win its fourth straight 5A boys title, led by the top two finishers from last year, Tayvon Kitchen and Josiah Tostenson. They also have the top times this year, both finishing in 14:23 at the Crater Twilight Invite.
Crater was the unanimous top pick in the final coaches poll, though Summit’s Hayden Boaz, Central’s Ty Cirino and Caldera’s Mason Morical all have run 14:40 or faster.
Newport is favored to repeat as 4A boys champion despite losing senior star Finn Collson to a strained Achilles tendon.
Newport coach Tom Swinford said Collson is hard on the recovery trail for next spring.
“He is looking forward to a good track season,” Swinford said.
Meanwhile, the Cubs’ coach remains optimistic for Saturday.
“I still think we can win state,” he said.
Cottage Grove’s Carter Bengtson is the defending champion with a season best time of 15:09 that is 17 seconds better than the No. 2 ranked runner who also comes from the Sky-Em League, Marist Catholic’s Conor Thompson.
Even without Collson, Newport returns the fourth- and fifth-place finishers from last year’s state meet — Noah Larsen and Connor Brown — and the Cubs easily beat No. 2 Philomath to win the Oregon West Conference district title.
The team races for the two smaller classifications could be close.
In Class 3A, Siuslaw was narrowly ahead of Banks in the final coaches poll, with the Vikings led by four newcomers.
Clayton Wilson, who won both distance races in the state track meet for Reedsport last spring, has the top time in the classification and Siuslaw’s next three runners all are freshmen — Henry Stone, Bentley Nelson and Ezra King.
Banks is led by a trio of juniors — Amin Diani, Alejandro Abnal and Omar Diani — who all rank in the top 10.
Jett Leavitt of Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa is the top returner from last year’s state meet, when he finished second.
In the first race of the day, Union/Cove and Knappa are expected to have another showdown after the Bobcats edged the Loggers by three points for the title last year. Knappa won by two points over the Bobcats in 2022.
Knappa’s Wyatt Jacobson was third at last year’s state meet, a spot ahead of teammate Joshua Peterson, and has the top time this fall. He is followed by Illinois Valley’s Curtiss Heier and Nathanael O’Reilly, one of two runners from Union/Cove back after finishing in the top 10 at last year’s state meet.
Union/Cove was narrowly ahead of Knappa in the final coaches poll.
Meet Capsules
6A Girls
Teams to watch: Lincoln, Jesuit, Lake Oswego, Lakeridge
Top times: Chloe Huyler, Lakeridge, 16:32; Nelida Dalgas, North Salem, 16:46; Hannah Huyler, Lakeridge, 17:15; Elyse Henriksen, Lincoln, 17:27; Elissa Schaeffer, Sunset, 17:30.
Last year: Jesuit and Lincoln both had all their scoring runners in the top 15 overall, but the Crusaders took the team title over the Cardinals led by individual winner Emma Bennett.
Returning State Placers: Emma Bennett, Jesuit (first); Ellery Lincoln, Lincoln (second); Nelida Dalgas, North Salem (third); Elissa Schaeffer, Sunset (seventh); Avery Meier, West Salem (eighth); Sophia Malinoski, Lincoln (10th).
5A Girls
Teams to watch: Crater, Summit, Crescent Valley, Caldera
Top times: Emily Wisniewski, Crescent Valley, 16:35; Maddie Carney, Caldera, 17:15; Sophia Capozzi, Summit, 17:35; Emma West, Crater, 17:39; Brynn Davenport, Crater, 17:39; Lillian Weiss, Crescent Valley, 17:41; Natalie Kupka, Ashland, 17:42.
Last year: Summit edged Crater by two points, 64-66, to win its 13th state title in a row and Crescent Valley’s Emily Wisniewski won her third straight crown while setting a course record (17:05).
Returning state placers: Emily Wisniewski, Crescent Valley (first); MacKenzie Bigej, Canby (second); Emma West, Crater (fourth); Lillian Weiss, Crescent Valley (sixth); Eva Dicharry, Summit (seventh); Maddie Carney, Caldera (eighth); Skye Knox, Summit (10th).
4A Girls
Teams to watch: Philomath, Klamath Union, The Dalles, Junction City
Top times: Brooke Perry, La Grande, 18:05; Cecilia Villagomez, La Grande, 18:13; Adele Beckstead, Philomath, 18:33; Hallie Pyfer, Klamath Union, 18:35; Anika Jenson, Molalla, 18:36.
Last year: La Grande had the top three finishers, led by champion Cecilia Villagomez, but Philomath had four of the top 15 overall and edged the Tigers 66-71 to win the team title.
Returning state placers: Cecilia Villagomez, La Grande (first); Brooke Perry, La Grande (second); Alaina Casady, The Dalles (fourth); Libby Fox, Junction City (fifth); Maddie Menke, Seaside (sixth); Lola Esplin, Junction City (seventh); Ruby Snider, Crook County (eighth); Adele Beckstead, Philomath (ninth).
3A-2A-1A Girls
Teams to watch: Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa, Oregon Episcopal, Banks, Siuslaw
Top times: Daisy Lalonde, East Linn Christian, 17:39; Lauren Tittel, Oregon Episcopal, 17:43; Jaya Simmons, Valley Catholic, 17:43; Sophie Schoolmeister, Banks, 18:04; Lindsey Brown, Pine Eagle, 18:24.
Last year: Jaya Simmons of Valley Catholic denied East Linn Christian’s Daisy LaLonde a second straight individual title, winning easily in 18:20. Oregon Episcopal took the team title.
Returning state placers: Jaya Simmons, Valley Catholic (first); Daisy Lalonde, East Linn Christian (second); Sophie Schoolmeester, Banks (third); Lily Nichols, Heppner (fourth); Kalkidan Ellis, Western Christian (sixth); Sierra Simmons, Valley Catholic (seventh); Owyhee Harguess, Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa (ninth).
6A Boys
Teams to watch: Jesuit, Ida B. Wells, Central Catholic, Lincoln
Top times: Dylan Weniger, Sherwood, 14:41; Malachi Schoenherr, Sheldon, 14:46; Zafer Courcelle, Franklin, 14:50; Sawyer Marquis, Forest Grove, 14:50; Kai Jensen, Cleveland, 14:58; Roman Radecki, Jefferson, 14:58; Yosuke Shibata, South Eugene, 14:59.
Last year: Franklin had three of the top six finishers to win its first team title. West Salem’s Jack Meier was the individual winner.
Returning state placers: Zafer Courcelle, Franklin (third); Brennan McEwen, Franklin (fifth); Malachi Schoenherr, Sheldon (seventh); Sawyer Marquis, Forest Grove (ninth); Finn Briscoe, Central Catholic (10th).
5A Boys
Teams to watch: Crater, Summit, Corvallis, Caldera
Top times: Tayvon Kitchen, Crater, 14:23; Josiah Tostenson, Crater, 14:23; Hayden Boaz, Summit, 14:31; Ty Cirino, Central, 14:35; Mason Morical, Caldera, 14:40.
Last year: Crater had all five of its scoring runners in the top 13 to win the title, led by champion Tayvon Kitchen and runner up Josiah Tostenson.
Returning state placers: Tayvon Kitchen, Crater (first); Josiah Tostenson, Crater (second); Mason Morical, Caldera (fourth); Ty Cirino, Central (fifth); Hayden Boaz, Summit (sixth); Liam Wild, Wilsonville (seventh); Zander Campbell, South Albany (10th).
4A Boys
Teams to watch: Newport, Crook County, The Dalles, Molalla
Top times: Carter Bengtson, Cottage Grove, 15:09; Conor Thompson, Marist Catholic, 15:26; Jaxson Stovall, Marshfield, 15:28; Finn Collson, Newport, 15:29; Connor Brown, Newport, 15:34.
Last year: Newport had three of the first five runners across the line and won its first state title. Cottage Grove’s Carter Bengtson dominated the individual race.
Returning state placers: Carter Bengtson, Cottage Grove (first); Noah Larsen, Newport (fourth); Connor Brown, Newport (fifth); Daniel Brown, Baker (eighth); Conor Thompson, Marist Catholic (ninth); Tyson Long, The Dalles (10th).
3A Boys
Teams to watch: Banks, Siuslaw, Valley Catholic, Oregon Episcopal
Top times: Clayton Wilson, Siuslaw, 14:58; Ronan Gantzos, Oregon Episcopal, 15:04; Jett Leavitt, Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa, 15:07; Jayden Warner, Warrenton, 15:20; Diego Zambrano, Santiam Christian, 15:30.
Last year: Valley Catholic had three of the top 14 finishers to easily win the team title while Vale’s Trevor Stewart edged Jett Leavitt of Enterprise by one second to win the individual crown.
Returning state placers: Jett Leavitt, Enterprise/Joseph/Wallowa (second); Diego Zambrano, Santiam Christian (fifth); Ronan Gantzos, Oregon Episcopal (ninth); Amin Diani, Banks (10th).
2A-1A Boys
Teams to watch: Union/Cove, Knappa, Stanfield/Echo, Bandon
Top times: Wyatt Jacobson, Knappa, 16:14; Curtiss Heier, Illinois Valley, 16:16; Nathanael O’Reilly, Union/Cove, 16:27; Arden Shaul, Weston-McEwen, 16:30; Jonah Higdon, Nestucca, 16:32.
Last year: Union/Cove edged Knappa 44-47 for the team title by placing four runners in the top 12 overall. Heppner’s Grady Greenwood took the individual title.
Returning state placers: Wyatt Jacobson, Knappa (third); Joshua Peterson, Knappa (fourth); Pablo Galindo, Stanfield-Echo (fifth); Curtis Heier, Illinios Valley (sixth); Nathanael O’Reilly, Union/Cove (seventh); William Mallory, Union/Cove (10th).
