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OSAA Oregon State Championships
Lane Community College, Eugene OR
Saturday November 7, 2009
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Andy Kiyokawa Photos - 6A Girls - 6A Boys - 5A Boys | Dave Clark Photos - 6A - 5A - 4A
Rain, Repeats, Redemption & Record setting
Meet Story by Laura Magee, DyeStat Northwest
“Ummmm…You might not want to look at the weather forecast for tomorrow, just be sure to pack some rain gear.” warned my editor on Friday evening.
Sweatshirt: check.
Gloves: check.
Hat: check.
Raincoat: check.
As a made my way to Eugene, squinting behind my car’s sun visor, I thought, ‘Wow, I would be so prepared if only I had remembered my sunglasses and SPF 30.’
As if finally remembering that it is November, the weather began to shift after the two smaller classifications raced. The sun was replaced by couds, and then came the rain. The last two races; now that was REAL cross country, with the wind, the rain, and the mud… I don’t know about you, but apparently I would not be classified as a cross country purist. And, I am pretty sure there were a few cold, damp individuals that would have agreed to trade our typical Oregon Fall day for a few more hours of squinting and a mild-sunburn.
Run, Win, Repeat...times eight
It started in 2002; most of the current Crusader girls were just seven or eight years old. Their thoughts of Barbie dolls, Disney movies, and maybe some CYO running held the place for the future notion of continuing the proud tradition and state championship streak that the Jesuit team was starting eight years ago.
Fast-forward to 2009, the last Oregon state meet of the decade. With the early sun replaced by clouds, the rain really started to come down for the 6A races. Lincoln sophomore Claire Devoe took the pace out, putting an early gap between on the field. Returning champion Jesuit junior Annamarie Maag expected that someone would go out hard, but wasn’t sure who she would be chasing. According to Maag, Jesuit coach Tom Rothenberger was able to advise them to “minimize the gap”. It wasn’t until after the mile mark that Maag took control of first place. Maag, followed by a small pack led by teammate junior Payton Schutte were the first into the lake loop. In the group with Schutte was Tate Murray (Lake Oswego sr) and both Tualatin senior Emily Wheeler and sophomore Kristin Coffman. Maag split 11:48 at the 2-mile mark, with Schutte second in 11:57. The girls finished in that order, with Schutte running a strong last 300 meters to make up six seconds on the gap between her and Maag. Jesuit placed three in the top ten including repeat champ Maag in 18:31, runner-up Schutte (18:41) and Adrienne Demaree (19:10) in eighth.
Wheeler (18:44) and Coffman (18:46) finished third and fourth respectively, helping NW bubble team Tualatin girls claim second place with 91 points behind US #6 ranked Jesuit girls. A senior, Wheeler was excited to “finally” make it on the podium. She explained, “It is so helpful to have a teammate up there.” As for the team’s strong season, Wheeler proudly shared that “this year everyone has really come together, gone out there and worked really hard, and pushed one another.”
For Maag, “The experience [of her second state win] was definitely a lot different. Last year I was so overwhelmed; I didn’t have time to think about anything. This year I could step back and realize it is just another race, a bigger race but it is still a 5k. I just needed to run my race and I think coming back my second year it was a lot easier to realize that.”
Jesuit’s 36-point team win earned them the distinction of being the only team to win eight consecutive titles. When asked about the new record Maag shared, “It is an incredible number, I don’t think I can really wrap my head around it at this point. It is definitely a great accomplishment, and I am proud of all the girls.”
Tom Rothenberger works not only as a coach and mentor, but a historian for the program. Rothenberger, a fixture at the center of Jesuit’s running programs for the last 28 years is the constant in the success equation. Rothenberger was present for the admittance of girls to Jesuit in 1993 and the inception of the running program for girls.
Rothenberger was also pleased with the girls’ showing, “I’m very proud of them, they overcame adversity the last week and a half with Payton Schutte and truth be told, Annamarie missed a couple of days this week with a sore knee.” Schutte sat out the Metro League district meet due to tonsillitis, having gone to bed with a little sore throat to be woken by a fever of 101. After three days of no running Schutte started back with some light jogging with walking breaks.
Rothenberger continued, “They persevered through that, and some inexperience. You know we have some youngsters, there’s not a senior in the bunch. A couple of girls had never even been here before. I think people a lot of people just kind of think ‘Ahh, Jesuit, they’re just gonna go, but for a lot of these girls it’s their first trip, their first time through this dance.”
As the Jesuit historian of sorts, Rothenberger passes on the tradition as part of a way to inspire and motivate his athletes. “We showed the kids a video tape of collected footage from the state meet over the last 25-years, and they feel connected to them. Melissa Lucas who ran a 17:30 here to our first girls team to win a state cross country title (1996). Andrea Casey, one of our coaches, was a member of that team, so they feel connected with the past. They don’t remember it personally but we try to let them know that they are part of that tradition, part of that history. That makes it much more fun.”
The motivation struck a chord with Maag; she said, “The tradition of Jesuit inspires me a lot. The whole week before state we watched videos of past state meets, from the 90’s to last year. On the videos we see past teams working hard for each other, and going out for their teammates. I told the girls that we are in it for each other, and once the gun went off we went to work.”
Redeeming Repeat for Drew Jordan, Renewal for Central Catholic
While Jesuit boys have also seen great success, they have shared the large class dominance with Portland’s Central Catholic. For the past eight years, either Central Catholic or Jesuit boys have stood atop the podium at the state meet. Saturday was no different, and it was the boys from Central Catholic that sealed up the decade with the most state titles, five of the ten.
Battling wind and rain, kept a large pack together for over half of the race. Ian Burgess (Franklin jr), Ben Demaree (Jesuit sr), Drew Jordan (North Medford sr) and a few Central Catholic runners including seniors Curran Carlile and Peter Slauson were in that pack. No one wanted to venture out to take the pace and the brunt of the wind. Eventual winner Drew Jordan said, “You could definitely feel the wind that entire stretch. I wasn’t going to lead. I didn’t think I had to do it, I feel like I had a pretty good kick. Right at about 2 miles we really started going.”
Jordan the returning champion from 2008 managed to slip under the radar for many again this year. “I was definitely an underdog coming in again this year. I thought I could get the repeat, but no one thought I could do it except for me and my coaches.“
“My strategy was to keep up until about a thousand meters to go and see what I got and see what I could do. I was having some trouble finding that gear. I got a wake up call when West Linn came by and Burgess started to get away”, said Jordan. Jordan crossed the line first in 16:10 with West Linn junior Cullen Wannarka second in 16:12 and Ian Burgess third in 16:17.
Central Catholic, breaking form a bit from their often-detailed race plans, went into the race with a more specialized approach. “We often have a very specific team race plan, but this group has had, individually, a very mature understanding of their strengths. With that in mind, they all had their own plan - with the expectation that we'd like to work together whenever when the opportunity presented itself.,” informed Coach Dave Frank.
Seventh-place finisher Peter Slauson, number two for the Rams, echoed the strategy of each man doing his job out on the course. Slauson was very pleased with his personal efforts, saying, “If I can come out here and do my absolute best, well, you can’t be anything but happy.” Teammate Carlile was the first from Central to finish in 16:23 for sixth place.
According to Frank, “We had some problems and really didn't have what I'd consider our best day - although our boys ran with great heart and conviction.” Central’s number one for much of the season, Andy Bennison presented a tight/sore lower back early in the week. Physical therapy all week had Bennison feeling good for the standard morning run but by the time he warmed up he could hardly run. “Andy is a true competitor, and there was no way he was going to sit out on Sat. I was hoping that he'd just ‘sit in’ and run relaxed, but he was at the front by 1km and stayed there until about 3500m when his back really tightened up again. He faded to 18th but had clearly set the tone for our team with his inspired and courageous run.”
Musa Ahmed also suffered from back problems, while both Wasil Ahmed and Eerett Stilley had stomach problems during the race. Stilley threw up a total of five times throughout the race, still managing to finish 30th.
Maybe not their strategy, but a goal of man-to man defense. Frank informed, “One of our goals for the race was to have each of our guys be the first finisher at his team position: our #7 guy would beat all of the other #7 guys, our #6 would be the first #6, etc. We didn't quite make it up front, but we did with our #4, 5, 6, 7. Greg Cruz, our 7th, beat everyone's #5. That's probably the legacy of this team, our depth.”
“We've been blessed to win 5 titles in 7 years, but it never gets old. Even though I've been here for all of those five wins it's always important to remember that each of these kids is part of a truly special day and special accomplishment. While they're part of the history and legacy of the program, 2009 is their championship - and it's special.”
With the state championship over, the Rams will shift their focus on earning a ticket back to Portland for NXN.
Fristoe from fourth to first, Summit repeat
Summit sophomore Megan Fristoe finished fourth her last year as a freshman, this year she finished first in 18:52. Fristoe coolly commented about winning a state title, “It is cool, I like it. It is better than fourth.”
“Not until I got on the track” did Fristoe feel like she would win. With more competition this week, Fristoe tempered the speedy start she showed at the district meet, putting her into a breakaway group of three. The group included Angelica Rodriguez (Hermiston sr) and Jessica Wolfe (Mountain View so). The three traded positions a few times, each trying to draft as much as possible and conserve energy.
Third-place finisher Wolfe (19:19) was ecstatic with her finish, “ I was just nervous butterflies up and down, and I didn’t know what to expect. I’d been sick for a week before, so not feeling very good but I can’t believe I pulled that off with no plan going to the line.”
Rodriguez, also happy with her performance and runner-up finish in 19:09 said of her race plan, “If I was up there, just stay with them and don’t freak out.”
Sitting in sixth for the majority of the race, Summit senior and sprint standout Kellie Schueler pulled her patented strong, last-400 finish. Schueler finished fourth in 19:31, saying, “I’m happy with fourth. Every year I have been at state I have improved.” Schueler was also happy to be breathing easier than at districts where she ran with a cold, though she still felt some remaining effects of the illness. Scoring five in the top ten, NW bubble team Summit girls defended their title with just 21 points. Crescent Valley finished second with 91 points.
Josh Elliott & Crater repeat
The individual 5A title went to Josh Elliott (16:03) for the second year in a row. “I knew there would be people gunning for me.” And although Elliott confessed to some pre-race nerves and trouble getting to sleep, he executed the race well as did Crater teammates who earned the team title again. Crater had donned their bright orange jerseys, making their 34-second spread and 1,3,5,10,11 finishes that much more pronounced and impressive. About the newest addition to their racing wardrobe, Elliott commented, “We’re able to see each other. It feels so good to see all of those guys right there.” Right there they were, Crater boys claimed their fourth straight team win with a low 25 points. Ashland boys were second with 85 points. They are the only team to have won titles in the 5A classification. Crater, ranked fourth in the NW region will compete next weekend in Boise for a chance to run at Nationals.
Cleveland senior Daniel Winn finished a close in 16:07 behind Elliott. Winn was smiling pretty big after the race, and not just because he was being interviewed by DyeStat (“I love that website.” – Winn), but because he had achieved his goal for the day. “Last year I actually led the first mile and finished sixth, which obviously wasn’t very good.” shared Winn. “Top three was my goal, so I’m very happy with this.“
Pack power promotes Marist & Henley
The Siuslaw girls ran together for the entire race, and came onto the track together. It was Raelyn Robinson that finished first in 19:47 and Samantha Pummer second in 19:50. “She has a better sprint than me”, laughed Pummer.
Robinson admitted, “It feels good to win first, but I couldn’t have done it without Sam. We always work together, so without her I don’t think it would have happened. We always joke that we can be mad at each other but can get over it in the next five seconds.” There was no animosity or resentment between the close teammates; their shared goal of the state win exceeded any individual goal. Both girls talked about how they were there to do their job of scoring three points between them, which they did. This year, even the strong 1-2 and another in the top ten was not enough to hold off the tight pack from Marist. The Marist girls finished fifth in 2008, and ran strong to upset the 2008 champs with 58 points to 66.
Henley senior Jed Tolbert took it out fast, with Brady Beagley (North Valley sr) and Sisters senior Parker Bennett on his tail. The three broke away, battling for positions. It wasn’t until the final turn before hitting the track that Tolbert shifted gears, solidifying his lead. “I thought, just one track lap left”, said Tolbert, something he does routinely in practice. Very happy with the win, stating, “I’ve worked so hard for four years, and I finally got it.”
Henley boys really packed well, with five in the top sixteen. “Four of six that are racing here are seniors, and they all want it so bad”, said Tolbert of the strong finish. Thirty-seven years ago, Henley finished second at a state meet; they had never finished first until this year. Excited for the success the Henley girls have had in the past, but excited to make school history, Tolbert announced, “Our time has come!”
Seniors Watson and Baldovino step up
“I should have won last year, I just didn’t have the guts to go,” explained Cole Watson. The clear favorite coming into the 3A/2A/1A race, Watson hoped to throw down a quick time to show that he can compete off the track as well. “That would be sweet if I was the fastest one of the day. I wanted to go 15:20, but I’m not that good yet.” Watson did have the fastest time of the day, and we can only speculate if his time would have held up of the conditions hadn’t changed from sunshine to rain and wind.
The plan for Watson was to “go through 2 miles as fast as I can”. Watson slipped coming around the fence out of the lake loop, with a little smile as he regained his footing. Watson took a big fall earlier this season at the Concordia/Puma Classic where he got some real height and landed on his back on a grate, knocking the wind out of him. According to Watson he had never fallen until this year, so his slip at the 2-mile mark was entertaining. Having bumped mileage up this year, running up to sixty miles a few weeks over the summer compared to his usual 45 seemed to help Watson, saying, “I felt really good out there. It was a good race; I’m proud of it.”
No, Watson was not dancing to “YMCA” as he crossed the finish line. “I flashed the ‘O’, I’m sorry if it looked like another letter.” laughed Watson. Watson has committed to the University of Oregon, but may have to practice the running ‘O’ a bit before the official debut.
Lakeview senior Ashley Baldovino took off from the gun, determined to collect her third title in four years. Baldovino won as a freshman, repeated her sophomore year but finished a disappointing second in 2008. The 2008- 2009 seasons were challenging for Baldovino who was sick much of the cross country season including a bout of pneumonia, and then suffered shin splints during track season. Crossing the line in 20:00, Baldovino claimed first place with Rainier senior Kayla Nagunst second in 20:08. Baldovino shared how it feels to add win number three, “It feels really good. I felt healthy and confident coming into this race, much better than last year.” I got my confidence back, and although I didn’t do as well as I thought I would, I came back. I really wanted it this year.” St. Mary’s earned their third straight team win with a super close 1-point win over Catlin Gabel 73 to 74.
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