Outlaws runners face top teams

The Sisters Outlaws cross country team faced some of the strongest competition available in the Northwest at the Summit Invitational on Saturday, October 12.

The race featured some of the finest 4A teams in Oregon and two prestigious programs from Washington state.

Lindsay Chick overcame blinding dust and crowded conditions to place 27th (20:44) among 150 varsity finishers to lead Sisters to a ninth place team finish among 20 complete teams.

"When we hit the dirt trail and the dust kicked up, I couldn't even see," said Chick.

The next six Outlaw runners paired up. Anna Morton and Resa Hodson, who came to the race straight from taking the SAT, ran together throughout the race finishing 44th (21:28) and 49th (21:33).

Rikki Glick (22:01) and Iris Powell (22:21) also finished near one another in 62nd and 70th. Melissa Little (23:01) and Amy Cretsinger (23:06) ended up in 98th and 100th places.

Five of the teams ahead of Sisters were 4A teams ranked in the top 10 in the latest coaches' poll. Third-ranked Jesuit won the meet with 83 points, followed by Snohomish (87) and top-ranked St. Mary's with 105.

Sisters (237) finished just 10 points behind second-ranked Sunset (227) of Beaverton. Erin Gray of South Eugene ran away with the individual title in 18:48.4.

"Between SATs and homecoming this week the girls were not at their best, so I'm happy we did as well as we did," said Kanzig. "To beat all of the local 4A teams (Bend, Mt. View, Redmond, and Summit) was surprising."

The Outlaw boys had a solid showing also, finishing 13th among 24 complete teams, despite missing two varsity runners for the meet.

Alex Templar was the second 3A finisher in the race behind La Pine's Alex Scharmann, covering the rugged, dusty course in 17:46 to place 48th among 162 finishers. Koby McCorkle was next in 64th place (18:03), followed by Devon Pelkey in 82nd (18:21) and Wes Hodson 86th (18:26).

Nathan Church was the fifth scorer for Sisters, finishing 111th in 18:59. Justin Thomas (123rd) and Ben Boro (124th) were both timed in 19:19.

"It's too bad the course was so slow, because these guys ran tough races," said Kanzig. "I don't know if it was the loose, dusty soil, or if the course was long, but times were a good 45 seconds slower than normal."

The Outlaws were missing Jordan Beck (family emergency) and David King (illness), yet still managed to beat Capital Conference rival Molalla in the team standings.

"I think the thin, dry air got the best of Molalla," said Kanzig. "My guys really focused on staying close to those orange jerseys and it paid off."

Mead, of Spokane, Washington, claimed the team title with 82 points, and reigning state champion Lauren Jesperson of Klamath Union won the individual title in 16:04.

The team is scheduled to travel to Eugene Thursday, October 17 for the Creswell Invitational at Lane Community College in its final competition before district finals.