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CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Dobry does it Senior garners state title, leads Crusaders to team crown Comment By Tim Trower Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 7:37 PM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 11:19 PM By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 7:37 PM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 11:19 PM --> Girls Cross Country RECAP: St. Mary's senior Marissa Dobry wins the Class 3A/2A/1A state championship by 19 seconds, pacing the Crusaders to their first girls title since 2009.... » Read more X Girls Cross Country RECAP: St. Mary's senior Marissa Dobry wins the Class 3A/2A/1A state championship by 19 seconds, pacing the Crusaders to their first girls title since 2009. » Social News EUGENE — Marissa Dobry was going for "a place." So, too, were her St. Mary's cross country teammates. None of them were disappointed following a stellar performance at the Class 3A/2A/1A state championships Saturday at Lane Community College. First places all around. Dobry ran away with the individual crown, and the Crusaders overtook favored Union for the team title. It was their first championship since a string of three straight for the program ended in 2009, and it came after consecutive runner-up placings. “Every one of those kids ran what they had to today for this to happen,” said longtime St. Mary's coach Joe Volk. “I couldn't be more proud. I'm extremely amazed because usually something happens, and nothing happened that could take away from that.” The Crusaders had a banner day, but other local girls teams and individuals enjoyed success on the 5,000-meter course amid pleasant temperatures and intermittent rain blasts. At the 5A level, Crater senior Jordan Monroe placed fourth, and the Comets and Midwestern League rival Ashland were third and fourth, respectively, in the team standings. In 4A, defending champion Phoenix had two top-10 placers and just missed earning a trophy. Dobry, a senior who transferred to St. Mary's when her family moved to Medford from Michigan at the start of her junior year, made good on expectations. She had been the class of the classification all fall, and no one was in position to change that on this day. “I was running for a place above anything else,” she said, noting that she wanted to be smart and not burn herself out early. “I wanted to win, but I always tell myself I'm going to do the best I can. And today that was first place.” Dobry won in 18 minutes, 39 seconds, overtaking Maya Rayle of Catlin Gabel during one crucial segment and finishing off Southern Cascade League rival and defending champion Sailor Hutton of Bandon down the stretch. Hutton was second in 18:58, 17 seconds ahead of third-place Stephanie Finley of Oregon Episcopal. Rayle was fourth. Dobry was second last year and admitted she didn't give the state meet due respect. “I was new to Oregon and I thought, 'Oh, it doesn't matter since it's a small division,'” said Dobry. “I didn't really appreciate the accomplishment of winning the state meet. I kind of treated it like it was just another race, which was really stupid for me. This year I learned, and I'm really, really happy.” The opening pace was slow, and Dobry was in a pack of seven halfway through. The group dwindled to four, but that still presented concern. “There were a lot of people at the 2-mile mark, which made me kind of nervous,” she said. Rayle took a lead of about 20 meters entering a downhill portion, and Dobry conjured resolve. Last year, a similar move by Hutton, then a freshman, sealed the outcome. Dobry knew this time she couldn't put off a response. “Otherwise, it's such a mental thing to let someone go over time, and then you can't get the fire back in you to catch them,” she said. “I knew right away I had to respond no matter how I was feeling if I wanted a chance.” Dobry had practiced interval training by starting behind her teammates, forcing her to play catch-up. It proved invaluable. She had no idea she had a sizable lead when she hit the school's track that signals the final 300 meters. “The whole time around the track, I was like, if she passes me, I will be sad for a very, very long time,” said Dobry. That didn't happen, but a Crusaders teammate of hers passed her share of competitors down the stretch, a sign of St. Mary's determination. It was a freshman, Emma Bennion, bringing up the charge behind Dobry. “We were hoping that our freshman would shine, and she did,” said Volk.”I knew that she could step up and beat some people who weren't expecting to be beaten by her, and that was huge. Like she's done throughout the season, she waited until the final kilometer to put in a big performance, and she had a great finish.” Bennion placed ninth in 20:04. She was followed by sophomore teammate Lindsey Gurr (20th, 21:13) and seniors Madeline Volk (27th, 21:30) and Meg Vasey (28th, 21:40) among the Crusaders' scorers. “This one is special,” Joe Volk said, comparing it to the school's other state titles, “just because these particular girls were second two years in a row, we have a batch of seniors and my daughter is in this group, so that was pretty neat.” Crater and Ashland did the MWL proud. Summit won its eighth straight title, matching a record string by the South Eugene boys of the 1970s. The Storm scored 23 points, followed by Mountain View (49), Crater (122) and Ashland (166). The top four teams earn trophies. Monroe finished behind three Summit runners, including champion Olivia Brooks, who set a fast pace. The Comet's time was 18:37. "I felt really good," said Monroe. "It got really rainy at one point. It started raining really hard, and that was kind of weird. Other than that, I felt really good." Eagle Point's Ariana Marks was 17th in 20:09. Ashland sent a team to state for the first time since 2009. The Grizzlies' top finisher was Christine Impara, who was 27th in 20:40. Phoenix's girls won the 4A title last year but lost more than half of those runners to graduation. Nevertheless, they put two in the top 10 — Danielle Jantzer was eighth in 19:37 and Emma Amundsen was 10th in 19:47 — and had a 15th in Shayla Potratz (20:40). Those three are veterans. Their teammates "are brand new to running at the high school level," said Phoenix coach John Cornet. "They just ran really well and it was an eye-opening experience for a lot of them." Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 541-776-4479, or [email protected] By Tim Trower Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tim Trower Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 7:37 PM Updated Oct 31, 2015 at 11:19 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... Varsity 541 Photos South Medford vs. North Medford Phoenix vs. Marshfield Ashland vs. Mountain View North vs Fortuna Coach K Summer Competition at SOU U19 Memorial Day Challenge » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.