Central Oregon’s high school cross-county success is well documented and you need not look any further than all of the state-team titles that area schools have produced. Here’s a look at the 10 athletes who have won individuals high school state championships.

The boys have had a bit of a drought, with no team title since Bend in 2001 and Bend’s Lane Neely in 2000.

Individual boys champions:
2000 Lane Neely Bend 15:35
1997 Jesse Thomas Mountain View 15:51
1994 Ryan Douglass Bend 16:12.7
1985 Matt Messner Bend 15:50.2
1977 Dave Johnson Crook County 16:06.4

Individual girls champions:
2010 Megan Fristeo Summit 18:37
2009 Megan Fristoe Summit 18:52
2008 Kellie Foley Crook County 18:32.5
2007 Michelly Foley Crook County 18:58
2004 Kimber Mattox Bend 18:19
1997 Abby McAllister Bend 18:36
1996 Abby McAllister Bend 18:47

Boy Team Championships:
1969 A-2 Madras – Bob Nelson
1970 A-2 Madras – Bob Nelson
1971 A-2 Madras – Bob Nelson
1982 AA Madras – Dave Randle
1983 AA Madras – Dave Randle
1984 AA Madras – Dave Randle
1986 AAA Bend – Bob Latham
1987 AAA Bend – Bob Latham
1989 AAA Bend – Bob Latham
1990 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1992 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1994 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1995 4A Mountain View – Don Stearns
1998 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1998 3A La Pine – Carla Borovicka
2001 4A Bend – Bob Latham

Girls Team Champions:
1974 AA Crook County – Diane Hayes
1975 AA Crook County – Diane Hayes
1976 AA Crook County – Diane Hayes
1978 AA Crook County – Diane Hayes
1990 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1991 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1992 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1993 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1994 4A Bend – Bob Latham
1995 4A Bend – Bob Latham
2000 4A Mountain View – Dave Hood
2008 5A Summit – Dave Clark
2009 5A Summit – Dave Clark
2010 5A Summit – Dave Clark

This is what COA is all about! The reason I started this website was because of how many incredible athletes we have here in Central Oregon. Below are some of the COAs who are getting it done in September:
Max King – The Bend resident won the World Mountain Running Championships… as in best in the world!
Ashton Eaton – The Mountain View graduate took 2nd in the World Track Championships in the decathlon… OK, so it was @ the end of August, but I’m counting it!
Linsey Corbin – The Mountain View graduate was third in the Ironman 70.3 World’s in Vegas.
Jacoby Ellsbury – The Madras graduate is third in all of Major League Baseball in hits and runs… basically one of the best baseball players in the world!
Ryan Longwell – The Bend graduate was two for two on point-after kicks and one for one with a 33-yard field goal for the Minnesota Vikings on opening weekend in the NFL.
Chandler Oliveira - The Summit freshman reached the semifinals in 16 boys singles at the Spokane Club Champs tennis tournament.
Joel Skotte – The Mountain View senior committed to Oregon State and has led the Cougar football team to a 2-0 start.
JC Grim – The Bend high football player has caught 9 passes for 195 yards and 4 touchdowns in two games, leading the Lava Bears to a 2-0 record.
Dakota Thornton – The Mountain View freshman finished 4th in the Marist XC Invite with a time of 17:12.
Hayati Wolfenden - The Mountain View senior finished 2nd in the Marist XC Invite with a time of 20:07.
Tawnie McDonald – Finished 23rd in the Ironman Ironman 70.3 World’s in Vegas.
William McDonald – Finished 48th in the Ironman Ironman 70.3 World’s in Vegas.
Lew Hollander - Finished 2nd in the Ironman Ironman 70.3 World’s in Vegas.
Matt Lieto – The Bend resident was 14th in the Ironman Ironman 70.3 World’s in Vegas.
Jesse Thomas – The Mountain View graduate was 17th in the Ironman Ironman 70.3 World’s in Vegas.

Please add athletes I didn’t mention… there are lots of them!

Andrew Boone – The Bend native just won the Pole Pedal Paddle. Andrew finished second the prior two years to Marshall Greene.

Stephanie Howe – Stephanie won the elite women’s division of the Pole Pedal Paddle for the second year in a row.

Chris Horner – Horner won the Tour of California and could make a run at this year’s Tour de France.

Jesse Thomas – A Bend native and Mountain View graduate, Jesse won the Wildflower Triathlon in California.

Paxton Deuel – Paxton lost just five games in four matches en route to winning the Class 5A state boys singles title. Earlier in the month he we the IMC district doubles title by losing just one game in four matches.

Parker Nichols – Became just the third Summit boys tennis player to reach the state quarterfinals in singles, joining Paxton Deuel and Cody Kohlmoos.

Haley Younger/Lindsey Brodeck – The freshmen duo won the Class 5A state doubles title for Summit.

Dylan Cramer – Dylan took 2nd at the Class 5A boys state golf tournament, the best showing ever by a Summit boys golfer.

Megan Fristoe – Megan won her second-straight Class 5A girls state 3,000 meter title.

Ashlety Maton/Megan Fristoe/Kira Kelly – Pulled off a 1-2-3 finish in state in the 1,500 meters with times of 4:41.27, 4:42.46 and 4:34.04 to score 10-8-6 for 24 points in just one event. Those 24 points would have been enough to finish 10th in the state with just that one event. Summit scored a record 112.5 at state.

Summit boys track/girls track/boys tennis/girls golf – All state champions!

Jesse Thomas, a 1998 Mountain View high school graduate won the 2011 Wildflower Triathlon last weekend. Bend’s Matt Lieto was 4th.

• Click HERE for full results.
• Read Jesse’s account HERE.
• Watch the video HERE.

Runners from Central Oregon have won more than their fair share of individual and team cross country state titles. With several runners in the mix, there is a great chance that more titles could be added this year. Here are a list of past state champions from the CO and also some who should be in contention for a title this year.

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)

Lindsey Corbin was the 2nd overall woman in the Boise Ironman 70.3 Half Ironman. Jesse Thomas had one of the fastest running legs of any competition on his way to an 8th place men’s finish. Thomas won the Male 30-34 category. The seven finishers above him were in the Male Pro division and the next six finishers below him were also in the Male Pro division. Great job by a pair of former Mountain View Cougars.

• Full Results.

Former Mountain View standout athletes Jesse Thomas and Linsey Corbin will be competing in this Saturday’s Ironman 70.3 Boise half ironman race. The race features a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.

Video interview of Linsey:

So I had fun with the running back question, so how about XC runners?

We’ll start on the guys side. Let’s put together the ultimate C.O. XC team:
Jesse Thomas, Mountain View – State champion in 1997 (15:51) who went on to run at Stanford.
Bret Holts, Bend – 2ND @ State as a senior in 1999 (15:56). 6th @ State as a junior (16:34). Ran at University of Oregon.
Kenyon Neuman, Summit – 2nd @ State in 2004 (15:46). 8th @ state as a junior (15:39). 16th @ state as a sophomore (16:06). 4-time individual state qualifier. 3-time IMC individual champion. Ran a prep PR of 15:24.
Ryan Douglass, Bend – State champion in 1994 (16:12). 2nd @ state as a junior (16:12). 11th @ state as a sophomore (16:29). 29th @ state as a freshman (16:36).
Lane Neely, Bend – State champion in 2000 (15:35).
Matt Messner, Bend – State champion in 1985 (15:50).
Carl Decker, Bend – 4th @ State 1992 (16:07). 8th @ State as a junior 1991 (16:00). 8th @ Stated as a sophomore (16:30).