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Sunset (Oregon) High is one of the best teams in the country, strengthened by one of the best duos in the nation in junior and preseason Flo50 No. 2 Ember Stratton and senior Kelly Makin, who doubled in the spring with two state titles in the 800m and 1500m. With depth and experience, Sunset will need to first battle out of a very tough NXN Northwest Region. Find out more about Sunset below.
Probable Top Seven:
- Ember Stratton, junior: first at 6A-2 Metro in a season PB of 17:07.90, first at state, and third at NXN Northwest before posting a breakthrough second-place performance at NXN.
- Kelly Makin, senior: third at Metro, second at state, and 20th at NXN Northwest. She ran a season PB of 17:26.70.
- Lucy Huelskamp, sophomore: second at Metro, fifth at state, and 25th at NXN Northwest. She ran a season PB of 17:40.30.
- Jolien Deboutte, senior: 13th at Metro, 37th at state, and 70th at NXN Northwest. She ran a season best 19:01.70.
- Na'ama Nevo, junior: 19th at Metro, 54th at state, and 121st at NXN Northwest. She ran a season PB of 19:26.70.
- Sophia Bigio, senior: ran a season best of 20:04.70.
- Kayah Ryerson, sophomore: ran a season best of 19:38.70.
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Sunset (Oregon) High coach Daniel Neeway answered a few questions about his upcoming season. See his answers below.
How long have you coached at your school?
I've coached at Sunset for 13 years.
What is your meet schedule this fall?
- Sept. 9: Tahoma 15K Coed Relays
- Sept. 13: Mountainside, Sunset, Westview @ Aloha
- Sept. 20: Southrdige, Sunset @ Glencoe
- Sept. 30: Nike Portland XC
- Oct. 6: Oxford Classic
- Oct. 11: Jesuit, Sunset @ Beaverton
- Oct. 18: Century, Liberty @ Sunset
- Oct. 25: 6A-2 Metro League Championships
- Nov. 4: OSAA 6A State Championships
- Nov. 11: NXN Northwest Region
How has your summer training gone for your team? What do you focus on during the summer months?
We had a pretty good summer. We put in miles. We focused on maintaining team unity.
Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
We have a big group of seniors, all of whom bring different leadership qualities to the team. We have 10 senior girls who put in at least 300 miles of running this summer.
Who are some new faces who will make an impact on your team this year (i.e. freshmen, transfers, runners who have improved a lot)?
Cali Corkran returns after getting bucked from a horse after her freshman year when she was our No. 4 on a state meet team that missed winning on a sixth-place tiebreaker. We don't know what to expect from her yet, as we've yet to do a test effort. Jolien Deboutte had a breakthrough track season, too.
What are some staple workouts your team does during the season?
I hate answering this question. Sorry.
What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?
They believe in their ability to succeed.
What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?
Ember Stratton has been dealing with a bad case of Osgood Slaughters since January. She wasn't able to run much this summer. This spring, she was only running once or twice per week and racing only to try to improve our team's chances at winning a trophy at the state meet. She was pretty sore at state and we hadn't been able to work on much speed. She's currently only running two or three days per week, but she looks good and we're working hard to keep the pain to a minimum.
She considered taking the fall off to not have to run through the pain, but she has decided that she wants to be at her best for the team. Kelly, Lucy, and Jolien take exceptionally good care of her.
This is probably also as good a place as ever to point out that racing at Eagle Island State Park is really tough for those of us who live and train at sea level. The altitude is one thing, but it's also dang tough since the course is so narrow and has such terrible footing. It isn't a good championship course, made worse by the altitude. Two years ago, we finished seventh at NXN, but almost didn't make it out of Boise! We got lucky last year.
How would you describe your team's culture?
We have the best team culture. It's the best part of our program. There is such a great feeling of community and support. It's where I'd much rather start when talking about our team -- before we talk about any of our competitive success.
What are your top three goals for the team this fall?
- Stay healthy
- Continue to improve
- Be the best team in our league
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Top Returning 5K Times From the 2016 XC Season
| AVERAGE | Sunset (OR) | |||
| 17:07.90 | ||||
| 2) Kelly Makin | 17:26.70 | |||
| 17:40.30 | ||||
| 19:01.70 | ||||
| 19:26.70 | ||||
| Average Time: 18:08.66 Total Time: 1:30:43.30 1-5 Split: 2:18.80 | ||||
| 19:38.70 | ||||
| 7) Grace Beal | 19:47.20 | |||
Top Returning 1500m Times From The 2017 Outdoor Season
| AVERAGE | Sunset (OR) | |||
| 1) Kelly Makin | 4:28.96 | |||
| 4:36.01 | ||||
| 4:36.56 | ||||
| 4:53.46 | ||||
| 5:07.60 | ||||
| Average Time: 4:44.52 Total Time: 23:42.59 1-5 Split: 38.64 | ||||
| 6) Sophia Bigio | 5:12.11 | |||
| 7) Grace Beal | 5:12.59 | |||
Top Returning 3000m Times From The 2017 Outdoor Season
| AVERAGE | Sunset (OR) | |||
| 9:54.71 | ||||
| 10:00.38 | ||||
| 10:27.47 | ||||
| 11:05.27 | ||||
| 11:17.99 | ||||
| Average Time: 10:33.16 Total Time: 52:45.82 1-5 Split: 1:23.28 | ||||
| 6) Grace Beal | 11:18.30 | |||
| 11:20.17 | ||||