In 2018, Summit's dominant girls cross country team was put on notice.
The Storm, boasting 10 consecutive 5A championships, was facing a move to 6A, which included another powerhouse program in Jesuit, the two-time reigning champion.
Summit didn't blink, though, cruising to easy wins over the runner-up Crusaders in 2018 and 2019. And after COVID wiped out the state meet the following season, the Storm came back to beat Jesuit by three points last year for a 13th consecutive state championship.
It was mission accomplished for the Storm before moving back down to 5A this year.
“I think our team is incredibly proud of that,” coach Kari Strang said. “The years of competition at 6A was really great for us, just to have that opportunity, and to get to know a lot of those athletes and coaches better.”
Summit is trying to keep the move in perspective. The Storm knows it no longer has to go through Jesuit to win a state title, but isn't taking anything for granted in 5A.
“Definitely there's a little bit of sadness not to get to stay in 6A, but there is still strong 5A competitors out there,” Strang said. “I think we're fortunate in Oregon that there is depth of competition at every classification. Our mindset is just to make the best of whatever situation we're in.”
Summit still will get to match strides with the best of 6A at invitationals such as the Northwest Classic (Sept. 17), Nike Portland XC (Sept. 24), Oxford Classic (Oct. 1) and Rose City Championship Invitational (Oct. 14).
“Really, almost every meet that we're in we have the opportunity this year to race against some 6A schools,” Strang said. “We were pretty deliberate in making sure that we would see most of those 6A friends out there.”
In last year's 6A meet, Summit had four of the first 10 placers and seven in the top 28. The Storm brings back four of those runners in seniors Ella Thorsett (sixth), Barrett Justema (ninth) and Camille Broadbent (25th) and junior Payton Finney (28th).
“We have some returning runners that are very strong,” Strang said.
Thorsett and Justema, coming off excellent track seasons, are the team's leaders. In the 6A track meet, Thorsett was fourth in the 3,000 meters and ninth in the 1,500; Justema was sixth in the 3,000 and 10th in the 1,500.
“We tried to make sure they had a good break this summer, just enough time to rejuvenate and get excited again,” Strang said. “They're running extremely well so far. It's their senior year. I want it to be as fun and positive for them as possible.”
The Storm needs to replace four runners who have moved on to college programs in Teaghan Knox (Oregon State), Maggie Williams (Biola), Ashley Boone (Nevada) and Jorun Downing (Gonzaga). Knox and Williams finished eighth and 10th, respectively, in the state meet last year.
As usual, Summit appears to have plenty of reinforcements. Senior Claire McDonald, a soccer player, has joined the team and plans to do both sports this fall. Junior Ainslie Knox is back after being slowed by injuries and illness last year. And freshmen Skye Knox and Taylin Bowen are ready to make an impact.
“I think they're going to be strong contributors to the team,” Strang said.
Summit will get reacquainted with the landscape in 5A. Reigning champion Corvallis and runner-up Crescent Valley bring back much of their lineups, including last year's champion in Crescent Valley sophomore Emily Wisniewski.
“There's still going to be some challenges in 5A,” Strang said. “We'll just make the best of it.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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