Summit's Matthew Maton runs alongside South Eugene's Reilly Bloomer for the first lap around Bend's Drake Park during the Oxford Classic Elite Varsity Boys cross-country race on Friday afternoon. Maton later dropped Bloomer to win the race.

With Summit’s Hannah Gindlesperger and Matthew Maton winning the girls and boys Elite Varsity divisions, the Storm teams successfully defended their titles Friday in the Oxford Classic cross-country race at Bend’s sun-drenched Drake Park.

It was the first Oxford Classic win for both Gindlesperger, a sophomore, and Maton, a junior. The Summit girls have now won the annual Oxford meet for three consecutive years after the Storm’s Gindlesperger, Olivia Brooks and Kaely Gordon took the top three spots in their division. The Summit boys won the meet — long regarded as one of the best high school cross-country competitions in the region — for the second year in a row.

“Summit had a solid performance from the girls,” said Jim McLatchie, Summit’s assistant coach, who is filling in for head coach Carol McLatchie.

“The boys were a little tired because they raced last weekend and we have been training hard through the week for next weekend’s Adidas Cross Country Classic (in Portland).”

Gindlesperger dominated the Elite Varsity Girls. She began pulling ahead a half-mile into the 5,000-meter race and kept pushing until she had 26-second lead over Brooks, her Summit teammate. Gindlesperger posted a time of 17 minutes, 46 seconds — six seconds off her personal record over a 5,000-meter cross-country course.

“My legs were pretty tired, so it kind of made the whole course kind of challenging, but I knew that I could do it,” Gindlesperger said. “It’s pretty cool to win (a hometown race), because you know everyone here.”

In the Elite Varsity Boys race, Maton paced himself for the first lap around the park but began extending the lead to finish comfortably in first place with a time of 15:01. According to Maton, he was not running at his top speed.

“I did pretty good, considering that I was tired,” Maton said. “I was trying to run pretty easy the first part. I was trying to go 80 percent the whole way, but I just kind of went for it because I didn’t want to risk it.”

Tim McPherson, a junior from Cascade Christian in Medford, won the Invitational Varsity Boys division with a time of 16:19.3. It was his first high school win.

“This is one of the bigger races that I’ve done.” McPherson said. “There was really good competition and it was a higher elevation than what I am used to. I wasn’t even sure I was going to win it. My coach said that it was possible, but I hadn’t thought about it.”

Hood River Valley sophomore Sascha Bockius also posted her first victory in a high school meet as she won by 20 seconds over Sara Christianson, of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho. Bockius trailed Christianson in the Invitational Varsity Girls division until taking the lead about a mile into the race.

“My coach has been telling me to stick with the leader unless they’re going super, super slow,” Bockius said, “then when you’re ready, speed up.”

Borah High won the Invitational Varsity Girls division with three of its runners taking the second through fourth positions. Hood River Valley won the Invitational Varsity Boys division. Summit placed third in both Invitational Varsity races.

The Oxford Classic hosted nearly 800 runners from 18 high schools located in California, Idaho and Oregon. In the 24th running of the Oxford — formerly the Puma Classic — there were eight divisions: the Invitational JV Boys and Girls, the Invitational Varsity Boys and Girls, the Elite JV Boys and Girls and the Elite Varsity Boys and Girls.

Mountain View placed second in the Elite Varsity Girls division with Sage Hassell, Tia Hatton and Madison Leapaldt placing in the top 10. The Cougar boys finished third in the Elite Varsity Boys heat with Sam King and Gabe Wyllie coming in fourth and fifth. Bend was fourth in the Elite Varsity Girls division and the Lava Bears’ Caleb Hoffmann came in third in the Elite Varsity Boys.

This is the first year that Bend High School assistant coach Jennifer Smith has directed the event, and she said it was one of the most fun events she has been a part of.

“I know for our local kids, this is one of the few times where they can really show off to their friends and family what they have worked so hard on this season,” Smith said. “And being able to display that right in the middle of downtown is probably my favorite part of this race.”