Northest Preview

Saturday marks the end of the season for the bulk of Oregon’s best runners with the State meet to be held once again at Lane Community College. For the 6A Jesuit girls this weekend, however, should be just another step in the road to the NTN championships. Jesuit has been impressive all year & has been ranked as the best in the Northwest having defeated a very strong Gig Harbor (Wa.) team at South Whidby. As usual the Crusader gals possess great depth, which allows them to deal with most problems but this year they have added Annamarie Magg to the front of the pack and she can be expected to be either in the lead or very close to it, so in a way it’s almost as if there are only four runners to add in gaining a score. She can be expected to be followed by Noelle VanRysselberghe, who appears to be resurgent in her running of late. As the duo went 1 -2 in the highly competitive Adidas Classic. Noelle was third at State last year so we know she has the experience. Jesuit has ple nty of fire-power behind them and would have been a solid favorite even if St. Mary’s had not lost their fifth runner to injury (Julia Tawney). St. Mary’s Academy does not have the depth that Jesuit does, so her lost is even more costly. Still they have Lucy Whipps & Alexa Kearns (9th & 10th at State) , who can be expected to be in the top ten finishers. Those two teams stand head & shoulders above everyone else but other teams of note are Tualatin led by Emily Wheeler & West Linn led by Taylor Nowlin and possibly South Eugene, which has been hampered by injuries but ran well at District.

Individually there is a good deal of talent but a slight nod needs to go with Maag, who gave Alyssa Andrews of Gig Harbor a good race at South Whidby. Noelle, her team mate, also has the ability to win State. St. Mary’s Alexandra Jones is another very capable runner as her victory at Adidas & & 9th at the loaded Stanford meet attest. Gresham’s Khalia Tidwell has talent (4th at State last year) and can always be counted upon to give a good account of herself even on an off day. She was 3rd in a division of New Balance & 4th at Brooks this year. Lincoln’s Betsy Kolber won at Wilsonville & was 2nd at New Balance this year, aside from being 8th last year, and if things go well she could also win. Piper Delaney of South Medford looked well at Bend & also won the State of Jefferson Invitational. Others of note are Tate Murray of Lake Oswego, who was 7th last year & is the three Rivers District winner, Emily Wheeler (Pacific Conference winner who placed well at New Balance & was 2nd at Brooks) . Sasha Teninty of South Eugene has made strides of late & could also be a factor. Erin McLaughlin is back after problems last season & she won the Murv Fanning Run & should be a factor as well. Beaverton’s Haley Gregoire was 2nd at South Salem & at Tualatin.

The 6A race would appear to almost a lock for Jesuit, as everyone is healthy & they have great depth. That said one should not count out Dave Franks & his defending State champions Central Catholic. They, however, have not been at full strength all season and will take some return to form to even allow them a chance. Samot Turina has been hampered by back problems & even a bit of a tender hamstring but was 5th at State last year, while Musa Ahmed has been plagued with achilles problems after having been 7th last year. Peter Slauson, if healthy, should do well for them but the question is, if CC can’t challenge Jesuit, who can? The individual battle is anyone’s guess with all of the top fourteen runners having graduated or been injured, which effectively leaves Lake Oswego’s Elijah Greer (15th last year) being the top returnee. Greer, of course, had that amazing summer in which he ran 1:47 for 800, so whoever hopes to win better be wel l in front of him. As long as he can remain in contact he is the man to beat. Unfortunately he has suffered flu-like symptoms since attending Lakeridge rival Alex Anderson is one who is not afraid to go out strongly and has been most impressive this season. He was 2nd at New Balance & 1st at Adidas, although in both races he was unfortunate to be in the weaker divisions but he will not back off a stiff pace & might even set it himself, although that would not be advisable, & could claim victory. Other runners of note are Drew Jordan of South Medford, who was 19th at State last year & won the State of Jefferson this year & John Paden of lake Oswego who was 16th at State in ’07. If you want a long shot then Cullen Wannarka of West Linn is your guy. He raced well all year but was second to his team mate Taylor West but at the Three Rivers District he would have claimed victory if not by another great stretch run by Greer. It’s possible that he has moved to another plateau. Ryan Kavanaugh of Sunset would be a favorite after his 6th place finish at Stanford & victories at Canby & New Balance but it appears that foot problems have him out for the season. Jesuit’s Andy Kiyoawa & Patrick Maag should also be in mix as this is a very wide-open field. Sammy Kirtner of South Eugene also appears to be coming on of late & could be a factor. Not to be forgotten is Alex Peterson of Klamath Union.

It’s sad that the state has created new divisions for the individuals & teams at this level deserve a chance to run against the best & in deed, if we were to save the best for last, it might be this division. In fairness it’s hard to see any Oregon team knocking of Jesuit but, if it were to be done the deed would be accomplished by either Summit or Crater for they are two of the very best teams in the region. The Summit girls are led by Alyssa O’ Connor, who is returning to state for the first time since her freshman campaign due to injuries. Alyssa won both the South Salem & Northwest Classic meets and no one deserves to win more than her. Still she has more than ample help from frosh Megan Fristoe, who placed 2nd her district. Summit is also tough because they have the services of super sprint Kellie Schueler, who not only has a formidable finishing kick but also seems to possess an excellent sense of pace. Look for her to be threading her way through th e pack & towards the front late in the race like clockwork. Summit also possesses great depth & their second team has defeated their varsity opponents numerous times during the season. Summit is highly rated in the Northwest, much less the State, and they deserve it. Still the Crater girls are an excellent team as well & in their case the rankings are a bust. This is a solid team that is probably 5th best in the season, so far. That comment is due to the recollection of last year’s effort at State, which was truly a model of reaching peak performance at the right time. Recall last year that the Crater girls occupied the entire left side of the awards stand when the race was finished. If they come near to that performance this year look out for them They are led by Kayleigh Tyerman, who placed 2nd at State last year yet appears to have moved to a new level this year. She has already claimed victories at Yreka & Brooks and ran a gutsy 3rd at Adidas. Silver Siebert is their 2nd runner & she placed 5th at State last year. Not to be forgotten are the girls from Crescent Valley & Corvallis. The local rivals are not as deep as Summit or Crater but most teams would be thrilled to have their runners. CV’s Maddie Entrikin was impressive in winning her District & Corvallis can only hope they get the services of their leader Jennifer Johnson, who was forced to miss the last two meets, but was 5th at New Balance & 6th at the Northwest Classic. Freshman Jessica Wolfe of Mountain View is always ready to challenge for the lead & she has run valiantly at new Balance (won) & at Bend & at Adidas. Last but hardly least is Kellie Foley of Crook County, who is probably the best female distance runner in the state at the moment. Throw out her race at Adidas where she was sick & you see an impressive runner. She won her District facing the Summit & Crater squads. It will be very hard for any one at any division of the state to stay with her & we look forward to Border Clash.

Of course the comment about "at the moment" is a key qualifier for the best runner in the state last year was Taylor Wallace of 4A Henley. Taylor qualified for the Footlocker National meet in San Diego, where only the best qualify. One qualifies to NTN more often than not on the coat-tails of team mates but at Footlocker you qualify only on your own merit. Taylor has made the grade & is the best of all returning runners. Unfortunately she was injured playing basketball this summer & has only raced twice this fall - once at 5K, where her district time was well off last year’s pace. Still, if she is healthy, she is the one to beat no matter what division she chose to run (wouldn’t that be nice if she could?!). Of course she may have been looking ahead to Footlocker & holding back.

At 5A the Crater guys with Zach & Josh Elliott would appear to be the team to beat but Summit may very well have something to say about that as well. The Elliotts have had a habit of going 1 - 2 in meets (Yreka & Brooks) & they looked well at Adidas. Tim Costin of Springfield has won the South Salem Invitational & Northwest Classic & placed 4th at Brooks & 6th at Adidas. He can be expected to be in the thick of things. Hermiston’s Jordan Ringe has always been an impressive runner willing to challenge the best runners in any race. After his great race at Bend it appears that he might be given a slight edge but then again this is a deep field with fine quality. At 4A, just as Taylor Wallace, is the girl to beat Elliott Jantzer of Phoenix appears to be the guy. He won State last year & then placed 18th at the Footlocker West Regional - the 2nd best underclassman finish last year. He was been gearing for nationa ls but will be ready to defend his title in Oregon. If there is a runner in the division, who can defeat him, it would appear to be Connor Kasler of Hidden Valley, who was in the middle of the lead pack at the high quality Adidas Invitational.

Ashley Baldovino of Lakeview is another runner to watch. She has raced consistently well all year with 2nd place finishes at State of Jefferson & New Balance plus a 4th at Northwest & another at Bend. She is probably the top 3A runner in the State & is not afraid to go out hard, if that is what it takes to win a race.