Senior Adele Beckstead and junior Leo Pausch both outdueled the toughest competition on the home cross-country course Saturday to not only claim top individual honors but help their teams qualify for next weekend’s state meet.
When Beckstead entered Clemens Field for the final stretch in the varsity girls race, she trailed Sweet Home freshman Emma Whitton by 10 yards. But she gained ground around the final turn and then outsprinted Whitton to the finish line for her second Oregon West Conference Championships individual title.
Gallery: PHS cross-country at Oregon West Conference Championships (Nov. 2, 2024)
A collection of cross-country photos from the Oregon West Conference Championships in Philomath on Saturday.
Beckstead won in 19:27.64 to Whitton’s 19:29.01. The two runners had a similar outcome just a few weeks ago at the CG Bramble Scramble. Beckstead won on that occasion by less than a second.
“She’s a super runner — we raced at Cottage Grove and that was the last time we saw each other,” Beckstead said. “It’s super fun to race her and I’m excited for state next week.”
In the varsity boys race that followed, Pausch executed his strategy to perfection to beat Newport senior Connor Brown for individual honors. The two runners ran within a few steps of one another for most of the race but by the time they reached Clemens Field, Pausch had opened up a 20-yard lead.
“That was my plan — to just sit on Connor and make a move at some point,” Pausch said. “It basically happened the same way as it did in Nike Portland … to just sit and when the time comes, make a move and then just hold on.”
Pausch won in 16:38.43 with Brown second at 16:41.32.
“I’ve had a week and a half since my last meet, which helps with not pushing a ton and reserving your energy,” Pausch said about getting ready for districts. “I was glad to be able to do a little easier workouts and runs so we can come to the end of the season with as much as we’ve got.”
Overall, the girls team placed all seven of its runners in the top 12 — including the five point scorers in the top 10. As a result, Philomath easily won the district title with 20 points. Stayton was second with 59.
“Definitely, state’s the focus for everyone, so trying to prepare for that mentally and physically is super important at this time of the season,” Beckstead said about preparation.
Freshman Cassidy Smart finished third in 20:10.31, senior Melea Lattin was fifth in 20:49.54, senior Hallie Morrison finished sixth in 20:51.86 and junior Lucy King was 10th in 21:17.54. Rounding out the varsity were freshman Reagan Nuno in 11th in 21:22.04 and senior Hanna McDaniel in 12th in 21:33.21.
For the boys, Philomath had to settle for second place behind a very strong Newport team that is chasing its second straight state title. Newport won with 28 points, Philomath was second with 44 and Stayton third with 67.
Individually, junior Lukas Hernandez placed third in 17:00.49 and sophomore Galen Murch took 10th in 17:59.53. The other two performances that went toward the team score were senior JJ Lewis in 15th at 18:38.46 and sophomore Jacob Hernandez in 16th at 19:01.74. Junior Mason Stevens had a season-best time at 19:19.6 and finished 19th.
The most recent team performances fall in line with a strong cross-country tradition that has taken hold at the school for both the boys and girls. According to head coach Joe Fulton, the PHS boys have qualified for state 51 times since 1949 — a number that leads the classification and trails only 6A South Eugene statewide. For the girls, the Warriors have sent 42 teams to state since 1970. Again, that’s tops in 4A and behind only South Eugene.
Hernandez said he ditched the watch for his race.
“I just was running for whatever my heart felt — just going out there with nothing to lose and trying to put it all out there on the course,” Hernandez said, adding that he didn’t want to obsess on the time he would see on his watch. “I wanted to just focus on how I’m feeling and just keep my mind and body feeling good so I can finish strong.”
At the Oct. 12 Paul Mariman Invitational, the athletes talked about hot temperatures and soft wood chips on the course as factors in slower-than-usual times. The course proved to be faster this time around with better running conditions.
“It was so much better,” said Pausch, who finished with a time more than 9 seconds faster than the Mariman meet. “My thought all week was that if it rains beforehand and then doesn’t rain on race day, it will be phenomenal. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Beckstead also mentioned the ideal conditions.
“I think we had perfect weather,” Beckstead siad. “The rain helped mesh down the course a bit and so I think all of the factors lined up for everyone to race good today.”
Asked what would bring a smile to her face at the 4A championships, Beckstead said it comes down to knowing that she had tried her best.
“Honestly, if I give it my all, then that’s what I’ll be happy with,” Beckstead said. “Just to really compete hard and do my best. And we’ll see what happens.”
Pausch hopes to be in the running for a top-five finish at state.
“I think that’s very attainable,” Pausch said. “Best-case scenario — I get, like, second but we’re just going to have a good race.”
In the junior varsity girls race, Philomath was dominant with all five runners in the top 10 — senior Kateri Pindell in first (22:31.49), senior Brooke McDaniel in second (22:56.01), sophomore Ava Panico in third (24:00.62), senior Baylee Stewart in sixth (24:25.03) and junior Syd Cothern in ninth (25:48.62). The boys had three runners in the top 10 with freshman Sammy Hernandez in fourth (19:57.78), senior Seth Wood in sixth (20:10.93) and freshman Dreyton Nuno in eighth (20:47.34).
The Class 4A State Championships are up next at Lane Community College in Eugene. The girls are scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. with the boys to follow at 12:20 p.m. Philomath’s girls will be trying for their second straight state title.
