Here's a look at some of the area's top girls cross-country runners ahead of the 2025 OSAA season.
The 2025 high school cross-country season is kicking off throughout Oregon this week, and the Eugene-Springfield area will once again feature some of the top runners in the state.
Here is a look at some of the girls runners in Lane County who could be poised for big seasons.
This list is based on responses from area coaches, as well as times and results from last season's meets. All race times and results were collected via Athletic.net.
Ellen Auxier, jr., Springfield
Springfield's Ellen Auxier capped off a strong sophomore season by placing 10th at the Midwestern League championship meet and 40th at the Class 5A state meet last fall.
Frances Blake, sr., South Eugene
After taking fourth place as a junior at the Southwest Conference championship meet last season, Frances Blake is the top returning runner in the district. She went on to place 40th at the Class 6A state meet.
Ella Cardwell, sr., Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove's Ella Cardwell broke out as one of the top runners in Class 4A toward the end of last season. She took third at the Sky-Em League district meet and then broke the form charts at the Class 4A state meet, finishing ninth. At the 4A state track meet last spring, she placed fifth in the 3,000.
Lola Esplin, sr., Junction City
The defending Sky-Em League district champion, Junction City's Lola Esplin produced an outstanding junior season. She built on her district title by taking eighth place at the Class 4A state championship meet last November. During the state track meet last spring, she finished fourth in the 800.
Cricket Phipps, sr., North Eugene
One of the state's top mid-distance runners, North Eugene's Cricket Phipps won the 1,500-meter title and took seventh in the 800 at last year's Class 5A track and field state meet. She's also an exceptional cross-country runner who placed 22nd at the state meet as a junior last fall.
Piper Richmond, soph., Willamette
Willamette's Piper Richmond capped off a stellar freshman season by finishing fifth at the Southwest Conference championship meet to earn an at-large bid to the Class 6A state meet. There, she finished 64th overall and sixth among freshmen.
Bella Wells, soph., Springfield
As a freshman last season, Springfield's Bella Wells took 12th place at the Midwestern League championship meet and placed 48th at the Class 5A state meet. Her 5,000-meter personal best of 19 minutes, 49.6 seconds was the sixth-best time in the state among 5A athletes.
Jarrid Denney covers high school sports for The Register-Guard. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jarrid_denney.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Top Eugene-Springfield high school girls cross-country runners in 2025
Category: General Sports
