Fayetteville-Manlius, Boerne win Nike Cross Nationals team championships

Doug Binder, The Oregonian, December 05, 2009 7:37 p.m.

Nike Cross Nationals may be an elite-level high school cross country race, but it is the shared duty of teamwork that is celebrated annually at Portland Meadows.

That was what motivated Jesuit junior Payton Schutte as she battled to stay on top of her game Saturday. Her teammates and their fans spurred her to overcome individual suffering. 

"I wasn't feeling the best before the race," Schutte said. "I felt dizzy, and at one point thought I might pass out. Emotionally I was out of it." 

Normally Jesuit's No. 2 runner, Schutte was slipping backward early on. 

Then she heard over a loudspeaker that her team was in the top 10. 

"That motivated me," Schutte said. "Luckily, Sabra (DeVoir) was right behind me. She was cheering for me, knowing I was struggling." 

Scenes such as that one, capturing the spirit of cross country, happened all over the course Portland Meadows as the best teams in the country pressed and fought for every precious spot. 

Jesuit's girls, eight-time reigning state champions in Oregon, placed 11th -- the team's best result in five appearances at Nike Cross Nationals. 

On a cold, foggy morning, teams from all over the country tested themselves on mud, frost and bark dust and over hay bales and a roller-coaster section of 6-foot mounds.