Click the above link for more info, shooting begins on September 9th in Hillsboro at the Chapman Invite.

Brit Oliphant is a great example of a young person who has grown up enjoying the Central Oregon lifestyle. The standout cross country runner at Summit high school is one of the best distance-running sophomores in the state. Brit slowed down just long enough to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete.

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you been running competitively?
Brit Oliphant - Well, I grew up in a family of all athletes, both my parent’s winners of the Pole Pedal Paddle and many other races so I was introduced to racing at a pretty young age. I started Alpine and Nordic skiing around 1st and 2nd grade and I think that’s where I got my competitive edge.

COA – Can you remember your first race?
Brit – I can clearly remember my first race; it was the little foot in Drake Park. I was in 2nd grade and nobody including myself really knew I could run. I ended up winning and getting my picture in the paper and I think that’s the day I fell in love with the sport.

COA – What got you interested in racing?
Brit – I would have to say watching the summit team when people like Zoe Roy were running. I always looked up to the Summit kids and they were really nice to me and helped me believe that anything is possible, even for a 2nd grader. But also my parents, I was surrounded with sports and competition my whole life.

COA – What other sports do you enjoy besides running?
Brit – Growing up I don’t think there was a sport that I didn’t do. I did everything: traveling soccer, basketball, Gymnastics, Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing, Snowboarding, Swim team, Bicycle racing, I was an active member in a horse 4-H club, really I think I did it all. But as I grew up I had to start committing to the sports that I wanted to pursue so I chose running. Now days when I’m not running I enjoy paddle boarding, climbing, skiing and yoga.

COA – What are some of your hobbies besides sports?
Brit – I like camping and boating a lot, I also like spending time with my friends and just living the Bend lifestyle.

COA – Having grown up in Bend, what are some of your favorite adventures in Central Oregon?
Brit – I was born and raised here, in what I think is paradise. There are so many different things you can do in Oregon. Every summer I hike south sister and spend a lot of time wakeboarding, wakesurfing, and tubing. Smith rock is right in our back yard as well as many lakes. I really enjoy going to Steelhead falls and jumping off the rocks. I also enjoy skiing on Bachelor all winter.

COA – What are your goals for this XC season?
Brit – I really want to focus on just staying healthy. I had quite a few injuries last year and I got sick as well. I think if I stay healthy success will come on its own.

COA – What’s the best part about running XC?
Brit – Cross country is great because we do so many things besides running. We go rafting and exploring and really anybody can do cross country. Plus we have the world’s best coaches.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
Brit – That’s impossible. There are so many fun places to run here I could never chose a favorite. But I do enjoy running along the river trail or out at smith rocks.

COA – Anything else to add?
Brit – Look out because a storm is coming!

2009 Highlights:
• 18:53 PR (third fastest by a Summit freshman girl ever)
• 7th @ State as a freshman (19:38) – 2nd fastest freshman @ State

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you been running competitively?
Cameron Clark – I have been running competitvely since I was around 11, I think my first real cross country race was in 6th grade.

COA – What is the best part about running XC?
CC – I love everything about running, the racing, traveling, friends, its hard to explain the joy that it brings me.

COA – How do you like running on your dad’s team?
CC – I really like running for my dad’s team I am always aware of what is happening with the team and he has been coaching for 15+ years so he definitely knows what he doing. Also he basically been my coach for day one so i haven’t had many other coaches.

COA – What is your favorite race?
CC – My favorite race by far is the Concordia/Puma Classic. One of the biggest races and in Oregon and it’s always really fast and competitive.

COA – What are some of your goals for this year that you can share with us?
CC – My biggest goal for the next season is to try and win the team 5A State Championships, I’ve wanted to win since freshman year so I would be super happy with that. At an individual level I would really like to make top 10 at state.

COA – What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t running?
CC – I’m super in to skiing, that is probably the only other thing that I really enjoy as much as running. But I also enjoy climbing, fishing, skating, and anything else that involves getting outside and having fun.

COA – Any plans yet for next year?
CC – College is probably where I’m headed to next year, I am not sure where yet though. Other than that I have considered trying some triathlons next year.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
CC – My favorite workout would have to be the 13 mile loop up at Green Lakes or Highlands Loop.

Cameron Clark’s Career at Summit through 3 years:
(District placing, State placing, Best time)
2009 – 3rd, 27th, 16:19
2008 – 9th, 56th, 17:21
2007 – 14th, 68th, 17:08

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you been running competitively?
Jessica Wolfe – I’ve been running competitively since 6th grade, so as of this year, it’ll be six years.

COA – What was the highlight for you last XC season?
JW – Well, the highlight for last season would definitely be the 3rd place finish at state. Haha, in the hypothetical state race, I was ranked as 12th, so finishing 3rd absolutely blew me away!

COA – Can you share some of your goals for the season?
JW – As far as goals go, I’d really like to start running in the 18-minute zone. I really just want to go fast, and enjoy doing so.

COA – Do you play any sports other than XC?
JW – I’m not really coordinated enough to do many other sports than running, but over the winter I do yoga/pilates and spinning (indoor cycling).

COA – What do you like doing besides sports?
JW – Besides sports I love art (painting, sketching, sculpting), music (I play the piano and clarinet), reading and writing (indeed, I am a book geek), and being with awesome people.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
JW – My favorite workout in Central Oregon would most definitely would be Pilot Butte repeats. I love how when you do 3 or more on a consistent basis, people start to know your name and cheer you on; it’s pretty fun.

COA – Do you have a favorite XC race?
JW – I absolutely LOVED the Ashland race. It was the most beautiful trail I’ve ever ran on, and last year my teammate (Mkhaila Thornton) ran on each other’s tail the whole time; making it possible on the huge down hill to do the “rollercoaster”, which involves sticking your arms in the air and screaming. So, not only did we have a great time running, but we also finished 1st and 2nd, with our team coming in 1st.

COA – Anything else to add?
JW – As far as running goes, Central Oregon is the absolute best!

State Meet Results
2009 – 3rd, 19:19
2008 – 8th, 19:32

Intermountain Conference Championships
2009 – 5th, 19:39
2008 – 4th, 19:30

BOYS – The Summit duo of Sophomore Travis Neuman and senior Cameron Clark should be amongst the fastest boys in Class 5A. Neuman is the top returning 5A runner, but the addition of two fast runners from Franklin (6A last year) improves the field.

GIRLS – If the 5A champion on the girls side isn’t from Central Oregon it’ll be a shock. Megan Fristoe of Summit dominated the state meet last year and her biggest competition this year should be from the city of Bend. Kellie Foley moves from 5A to 4A after missing a year to due injury and should be the favorite to win another title for her family, which would be their 3rd state XC individual.

BOYS
2000 – Lane Neely, Bend (4A)
1997 – Jesse Thomas, Mountain View (4A)
1994 – Ryan Douglass, Bend (4A)
1985 – Matt Messner, Bend (AAA – largest of its time)
1984 – Mike Donaghu, Madras (AA)
1977 – Dave Johnson, Crook County (AA)
1971 – Dan Miller, Madras (AA)
1968 – Bill Kendall, Gilchrist (B)
1967 – Bill Kendall, Gilchrist (B)

GIRLS
2009 – Megan Fristoe, Summit (5A)
2008 – Kellie Foley, Crook County (5A)
2007 – Michelly Foley, Crook County (5A)
2004 – Kimber Mattox, Bend (4A – largest classification prior to 2006)
1997 – Abby McAllister, Bend (4A)
1996 – Abby McAllister, Bend (4A)
1985 – Lisa Karnopp (Nye), Mountain View (4A)

• Jessica Wolfe profile
• Travis Neuman profile
• Can C.O. add another individual state XC title to its streak?
• State preview
• 5A Girls Preview
• 5A Boys Preview
• Jesuit Girls Story

Also, be looking for lots more XC athlete profiles to come!

SUMMIT (1st)
Megan Fristoe, 11, Summit, 18:52
Brit Oliphant, 10, Summit, 19:46
Kira Kelly, Summit, 19:53
Sara Fristoe, 11, Summit, 20:03

Crescent Valley (2nd)
Charlotte Fisher, 12, Crescent Valley, 19:47
Meredith Wells, 11, Crescent Valley, 20:04

Ashland (4th)

Bend (5th)
Jenna Mattox, 10, Bend, 19:33

Marist (1st 4A)

Top 10 Individuals (last year’s time @ state)
1 Megan Fristoe, 11, Summit, 18:52
2 Jessica Wolfe, 11, Mountain View, 19:19
3 Jenna Mattox, 10, Bend, 19:33
4 Brit Oliphant, 10, Summit, 19:46
5 Charlotte Fisher, 12, Crescent Valley, 19:47
6 Kira Kelly, Summit, 19:53
7 Sara Fristoe, 11, Summit, 20:03
8 Meredith Wells, 11, Crescent Valley, 20:04
9 Nicole Dillavou, 12, Pendleton, 20:11
10 Mikhaila Thornton, 12, Mountain View, 20:19

Both Summit and Hermiston return a solid core of runners, while Franklin brings in two of the state’s fastest.

Franklin (6th in 6A)
Ian Burgess, 12, Franklin, 16:17
Jackson Baker, 11, Franklin, 16:33

Ashland (2nd in 5A)
Colin Haug, 12, Ashland, 17:03

Summit (3rd in 5A)
Travis Neuman, 10, Summit, 16:34
Cameron Clark, 12, Summit, 17:09

Hermiston (4th in 5A)
Javier Velasco, 11, Hermiston, 16:58
Andrew Valdez, 12, Hermiston, 17:06
Aduardo Juarez, 10, Hermiston, 17:06

Top Returners (based on time @ State)
1 Ian Burgess, 12, Franklin, 16:17
2 Jackson Baker, 11, Franklin, 16:33
3 Travis Neuman, 10, Summit, 16:34
4 Javier Velasco, 11, Hermiston, 16:58
5 Mark Sheridan, 12, Churchill, 17:01
6 Jordon Monroe, 12, West Albany, 17:02
7 Colin Haug, 12, Ashland, 17:03
8 Matt Auer, 12, Crescent Valley, 17:05
9 Andrew Valdez, 12, Hermiston, 17:06
11 Aduardo Juarez, 10, Hermiston, 17:06

Jesuit girls are the overwhelming favorites to win the 6A state title, which would be their 9th in a row.

The Summit girls should be favored to win another state title in 5A.

Crater joins Jesuit and Central Catholic a top the 6A boys competition. Private schools Jesuit and CC have dominated the 6A boys ranks for years but 5A state champion Crater should be right in the mix after moving up a classification.

Franklin moves from 6A to 5A and should join the Summit boys atop the 5A ranks.

Reigning/returning State Champions
Girls
6A Jesuit
5A Summit
4A Marist (moved to 5A)
3A-2A-1A St. Mary’s

Annamarie Maag 12 Jesuit (2-time 6A champion)
Megan Fristoe 11 Summit (5A champion)
Kellie Foley 12 Crook County (2008 5A champion, now running in 4A)

Boys
6A Central Catholic
5A Crater (moved to 6A)
4A Henley
3A-2A-1A Nyssa

One thing is for sure, there will be four new individual state champions in Oregon high school boys cross country in 2010. All four champions were seniors last year.

Maag is the two-time defending Class 6A state champion and her teammate Schutte is the second-fastest XC runner in the entire state. Mahoney is the 5th fastest senior in 6A based on last year’s state meet. While they were here the girls and their Jesuit teammates enjoyed runs on the Deschutes river trail, a loop through Drake Park, a hike up Smith Rock and lots of other C.O. activities including floating the river.

“It’s nice to switch it up and do something different,” said Schutte, who noted that they log a lot of miles running in the same places in the Portland area.

Jesuit, under coach Tom Rothenberger, has its sites set on more than just another state title. They will be looking for big post-state success, including a strong showing at the Nike Team Nationals at Portland Meadows racetrack. Expect another monster year from the Crusaders!

Annamarie Maag

Payton Schutte

Shannon Mahoney