Fresh faces dominate cross country finals

Central Catholic sophomore Kyle Thompson crosses the finish line first in the Class 6A boys final.

Photo by Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com

On a cold, wet day, the depth of cross county in Oregon showed itself at the OSAA State Championships at Lane Community College.

Only one team and two runners repeated as champions and sophomores won the Class 6A boys and girls races. Even a freshman, Union's Olivia Powell, scored a win, which allowed her to immediately think ahead to becoming a four-time champion.

South Eugene and Summit won their boys and girls team titles and the Storm won both individual races as well.

South Eugene's win in the Class 6A girls win might have been the biggest news of the day as it ended Jesuit's nine-year run of team titles. The Axemen also ended Crater's title run at five.

Summit's girls now has the longest string of titles at four.

Next up for the top teams is the Northwest Region finals for the Nike Cross Nationals. The Northwest race is set for Saturday in Boise, Idaho. The national finals are Dec. 3 at Portland Meadows. The Summit girls, who finished 1-2-3-4 in the 5A race, are aiming for a spot in the nationals.