Varsity 541

PREP CROSS COUNTRY

St. Mary's sets its sights on another crown

Martin, Bennion lead two-time defending Class 3A/2A/1A state-champion Crusaders

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With its top two runners healthy, the St. Mary's girls will attempt to make history Saturday at the Class 3A/2A/1A cross country state championships.

All classifications will compete at Lane Community College in Eugene, with the first race, the 3A/2A/1A girls, at 10 a.m.

St. Mary's, which two years ago didn't have a state championship in any girls team sport, has won two straight cross country titles. A third this week would tie it with five other schools for the longest streak in history.

"That's kind of what we're hoping to do is accomplish something historic," said Crusaders coach Joe Volk.

Others will be bidding for titles as well.

Rogue River's Cole Watson has the state's best boys time and is coming off a victory in the District 4 meet Saturday. The Cascade Christian boys, like the St. Mary's girls, claimed the District 6 team title Thursday and could be a force at state. The Challengers are headed by district winner Hudson Eustace.

State-meet veterans Morgan Martin and Mary Bennion pace the St. Mary's girls. They have the second- and third-best times in the state, respectively, trailing only district and former state champ Ashley Baldovino of Lakeview.

The two Crusaders were at less than the full strength last season, but each was a top-10 placer at state as a sophomore.

With them and three other returners, St. Mary's figures to be in the team mix. There it will see a familiar foe, Catlin Gabel, at the front of the pack.

The Crusaders edged Catlin Gabel by two points in 2007 — preventing the Eagles from becoming the first program to win four straight girls crowns — then beat their rival by 10 points a year ago.

The two teams met once this year, in the Regis Invitational. Each was without one of its top three runners, and Catlin Gabel finished ahead of St. Mary's.

"I kind of doped it out," said Volk, "and it (state) comes down to a matter of a few places. Every one of the girls has been in that position and knows what to anticipate at the state meet. They know what they have to do, and I think they're ready to do it, so we're pretty excited."

Bennion placed second to Baldovino at state two years ago, and Martin was eighth.

Last year, Baldovino was runner-up, but Bennion dropped to 12th and Martin 28th.

The Crusader duo each encountered health issues during their junior years. Bennion worked her way through a knee injury in the fall, and Martin dealt with low iron levels. When track season arrived in the spring, it was Bennion who suffered iron deficiency.

The condition is hard on endurance athletes, says Volk, because it compromises oxygen intake.

Both runners have recovered and are "100 percent" healthy, says the coach.

Martin has a season-best time of 19 minutes, 21 seconds for 5,000 meters. She ran that at the district meet Thursday and came in 19 seconds behind Baldovino. Bennion's best time is 19:36, which she's run twice.

"They've been within a stride or two of each other nearly every race," says Volk. "It also means in training, they're pushing each other along, and what that results in is the betterment of their race performances."

Kira Heycke should give the Crusaders another presence near the front. The junior has the state's fifth-best time of 20:08.

Watson, a senior who has committed to run for the University of Oregon, placed fourth last year, his best finish at state.

He entered the meet just a couple seconds off state-leader Michael Sherman of McKenzie.

This season, Watson has the best mark of 15:36.2, and Sherman is more than a half-minute behind. In the District 4, Watson beat Sherman by four seconds and sparked the Chieftains to second place, earning the team a state berth.

District was the fourth race Watson has won this season.

Cascade Christian's boys were dominant in their district. The Challengers had the top three finishers and scored 24 points.

Eustace (17:15) was followed by Jared Nichols (17:21) and Brad Arkens (17:23).

The St. Mary's boys and the Cascade Christian girls teams also qualified for state.

Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com