Fiona Max Leads Summit To 18:03 Average For 5 Scorers

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

PORTLAND – The reigning national championship girls cross country team from Summit High in Bend hasn't gone up against very many highly ranked teams so far this fall. 

But when you've got 9-10 athletes vying for spots on the postseason team – and an array of data points that are easily compared to 2018 – the Storm knows good from bad, right from wrong. 

On Saturday at the Warner Pacific XC Classic on a rain-soaked course at Lents Park, Summit romped to a Gold Division team title with 36 points. 

The top five, led by Fiona Max's win in 17:16.2 over 5,000 muddy meters, averaged 18:03. 

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Truth be told, that's a little bit slower than last year when the course was drier and faster.

The good news for Summit is that despite the conditions, Max was 12 seconds faster than 2018 and third-place finisher Teaghan Knox was two seconds faster. 

Isabel Max, gaining confidence with each passing week after returning from injury, ran 18:19.4 on a course where she ran about 20 seconds faster in 2018.  

"I think the team really stepped it up today," said Jasper Fievet, the team's No. 4 on Saturday in 18:20.8 – 11 seconds faster than last year.

"We knew it was an important race with good teams here and so we all performed and went super-hard."

Summit beat Northwest region No. 4 Lincoln Cardinals, 36-90. 

That was a pretty strong statement. The Storm's JV squad scored 16 points with a lineup that included winner Azza Borovicka Swanson and Kelsey Gripekoven, members of the 2018 team's scoring five at Nike Cross Nationals. 

Healthy competition on a deep team is keeping the top seven sharp, even if it's a somewhat fluid lineup. 

"The course of the year for everyone has been a little bumpy, but I think that's helped us facing that adversity and coming though the other side," Isabel Max said. 

The race up front was one of the most highly anticipated of the year in Oregon, with Lincoln freshman phenom Kate Peters getting her first crack at the Class 6A individual champion and Nike Elite camper, Fiona Max. 

Peters ran 16:58 a week ago at the Hole In The Wall Invitational in Washington – the fastest 5K time by an Oregon girl in four years. 

On Saturday, Peters was right behind Max for most of the race. A final hill before the sprint to the finish proved to be the breaking point. 

Max, ranked No. 14, attacked the hill and built a seven-second lead to pull away and take the victory. 

Peters, ranked No. 23, finished in 17:24.7. 

"Kate is going to do amazing things and she's an amazing athlete," Fiona Max said. "After Hole In The Wall, I was kinda hoping she was wanting to push for sub-17 because we both knew this was a fast course and I was kind of looking for that, too. 

"Today was not the day. We found out the mud really slows you down."

Peters was upbeat after the race. She knows she will have another shot at Max assuming both qualify for the state championship meet. 

"She's really nice, so it's fun racing against her," Peters said. "It felt pretty good until the last lap and the hill, and she took me and kept going."

Franklin's boys got an impressive 1-2 finish out of standouts Aidan Palmer (15:03.4) and Charlie Robertson (15:04.6). Jesuit, the top-ranked 6A team in the state, came to Lents Park to watch but did not race its top guys after back-to-back hard efforts in Washington state. 

Ahmed Ibrahim of Parkrose finished third in 15:11.1 after making a hard push mid-race and sprinting past the lead bicycle.

Franklin scored 77 points for the win, easily defeating Sherwood and South Eugene, who tied with 134 points.