Eugene — The weather went from promising back to cloudy for the Class 5A Championship, the third race on Saturday at Lane Community College in Eugene. Here are the headliners from Class 5A’s championship event:
Emily Wisniewski Makes It Back To Back
As a freshman, Emily Wisniewski took the reins and asserted herself as in control of the 5A landscape, winning the state championship as Crescent Valley’s only state champion en route to helping the Raiders finish state runner-up to rival Corvallis in 2021. This fall, Emily didn’t let up and kept up full control of 5A, cruising to an 11 second victory over Summit’s Barrett Justema. Her win also aided in the team results, as the Raiders took home third in Class 5A, and beat rival Corvallis who finished fourth this season. With hard work, dedication, and bit of luck, Crescent Valley’s only individual champion in program history could pull a three-peat or even a four-of-a-kind before she leaves.
Summit Extends Their Historic Streak To 14 Straight
Whether it is the 2000s, 2010s, or 2020s, the Summit Storm will be on the pedestal of cross-country royalty. Saturday was no exception for the Storm, who entered riding a 13-year state championship streak dating back to 2008. With a state title on Saturday, it would match David Douglas for the longest such streak in Oregon history, as the Scots won 14 consecutive swimming titles from 1967 to 1981. The Storm did just that, winning once again in dominant fashion with 36 points, more than enough to outpace Crater’s 70 points to tie David Douglas for the longest championship streak in state history. Four Storm runners finished in the Top 10: Barrett Justema (2), Ella Thorsett (4), Camille Broadbent (7), and Claire McDonald (10).
Sage Cramp Becomes Caldera’s XC Trailblazer
In only their second full season, the Caldera Wolfpack are slowly becoming known in different sports across Oregon. Last winter, the Wolfpack had their first state placer in swimming, and this fall their soccer team was the #1 seed in the 5A playoffs. That trailblazing has now extended to cross country, where sophomore Sage Cramp became Caldera’s first state qualifier in school history. Sage didn’t disappoint, finding herself in the Top 15 for almost the entire race, eventually placing 14th in her state debut with Caldera.
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