Summit’s Fiona Max crosses the finish line to claim her second straight state 6A cross-country title on Saturday in Eugene.(Brian Rathbone/Bulletin photo)

EAGLE, Idaho — Storm over Bend, a team of Summit High School runners, has won the right to defend its national cross-country championship.

Led by the second-place finish of Fiona Max, Storm over Bend placed first as a team Saturday at the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Championships, staged at Eagle Island State Park near Boise, Idaho.

Storm over Bend posted a score of 59 points to 95 for runner-up North Spokane of Washington. Both teams qualified for the 2019 Nike Cross National Finals, set for Dec. 7 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, where the Summit squad claimed the national title last year.

Max, who last week in Eugene won her second straight Oregon Class 6A state championship and paced Summit to its 12th consecutive state team title, led Storm over Bend on Saturday with a 5,000-meter time of 17 minutes, 5.8 seconds. She trailed only Sydney Thorvaldson, of Rawlins, Wyoming, who won in 16:50.6.

Teaghan Knox was the second finisher for Storm over Bend, posting a time of 17:50.1 to place eighth among 194 finishers overall. Also for Storm over Bend, Jasper Fievet finished 17th (18:15.8), Isabel Max was 27th (18:27.3), Barrett Justema was 30th (18:28.0), Magdalene Williams was 38th (18:35.2) and Stella Skovborg was 44th (18:41.3).

Stumptown XC Club of Portland was third in the team scoring with 105 points.