Summit's girls cross country team showed that it is getting back to health at Nike Portland XC. (Photo by Doug Binder)

Slowly but surely, key pieces of Summit's U.S. No. 1-ranked girls cross country team are coming back together. 

When the Storm won Nike Cross Nationals last December all seven members of that squad were eligible to return in 2019. 

But three of the top five on that team -- Azza Borovicka Swanson, Izzy Max and Kelsey Gripekoven -- came into the season with injuries. 

Coach Jim McLatchie has brought them back carefully, giving each one a chance to run in a JV race to re-establish a spot in the top seven. Borovicka Swanson won the JV race at the Northwest Classic in Eugene on Sept. 14. 

Last Saturday at Nike Portland XC, at Blue Lake Park, a meet hosted by Aloha, Max won the JV race to demonstrate that she is back and running healthy. 

Summit, bolstered by freshman Barrett Justema and sophomore Maggie Williams, won the Jim Danner Varsity Girls title with 67 points. Senior Fiona Max battled Mountain View (Idaho) senior Lexy Halladay for the victory (17:30.7) and finished second in 17:31.1. Sophomore Teaghan Knox was third, 20 seconds back. 

"Teaghan honestly doesn't know how much potential she has yet," Fiona Max said. "You watch her, and she's like a big friendly giant. And she literally, on our workouts, looks like she's walking them even though she'll be training with me. Once she realizes how to get her legs under her, she'll be even faster."

Gripekoven could return in a couple of weeks. But right now, the team is so deep it hasn't missed a beat. The eventual seven that will run at the state meet and in the postseason will earn those spots based on merit. 

"I definitely think it's a good thing," Knox said of the return of the injured runners. "We've missed having them racing with us. We get to see them at practice, but it's not the same when they're not running. It's cool to have them back."

Franklin boys second

In the boys Jim Danner Championship, Franklin had a strong showing and took second to the reigning Washington 4A champions from Tahoma. The Quakers put their top two, Aidan Palmer and Charlie Robertson, in the top seven. 

Isaiah Galindo of Clovis North (California) won the boys race in 15:19.5, pulling away from Quincy Norman of Forest Grove (15:24.5) and Ahmed Ibrahim of Parkose (15:27) in the final 400 meters. 

A week earlier, Norman had been beated by Ibrahim by just over a second at the Meriwesther Cross Country Classic in Hillsboro. 

"I didn't come with the same focus through sophomore and junior years as a I did my freshman year," Norman said. "This time I got re-focused and the results are showing."

Looking ahead

The big meets coming up this weekend include the Oxford Invitational in Bend on Friday, the 16th Annual Harrier Classic at South Albany on Saturday, and the Woahink Lake XC Invitational in Florence on Saturday.

Doug Binder is the editor of DyeStat.com