Rose City Cross Country brought Lincoln High School its first boys’ team title in the invitational’s six-year history on October 9, 2026. Oregon’s reigning Class 6A individual champions, Ellery Lincoln and Yosuke Shibata, also won their races. The results show how Portland schools performed against competitors from across Oregon and California.
Key Takeaways
- Lincoln’s boys won with 73 points, ahead of Grant (153) and Franklin (155)
- South Eugene senior Yosuke Shibata won the boys’ 5,000 meters in 14:20.7
- Lincoln senior Ellery Lincoln won the girls’ race in 16:34.5, repeating her 2025 victory
- California’s Sage Creek won the girls’ team championship with 89 points
Lincoln High School captured the boys’ team championship at the sixth annual Rose City Championship Invite, taking first place at its home meet for the first time. The Cardinals finished ahead of two Portland Interscholastic League rivals at Rose City Golf Course on Friday, October 9.
The team result did not depend on a single runner winning the five-kilometer race. Instead, four Lincoln athletes placed among the top 12, while the individual boys’ victory went to South Eugene’s Yosuke Shibata. In the girls’ championship, Lincoln’s Ellery Lincoln won for the second consecutive year.
Rose City Cross Country Boys Title Goes to Lincoln
Lincoln scored 73 points in the 23-team boys’ championship race. Grant placed second with 153, and Franklin followed with 155, giving Portland schools the first three places in the team standings.
Senior Peter James finished sixth, while teammates Malcolm Dimoff and Jack Denton placed eighth and ninth. Junior Seth Kugel took 12th, and junior Desmond Conser completed Lincoln’s five scoring positions in 50th. The team’s four early finishers helped establish its advantage before the fifth runner crossed the line.
The scoring also showed why individual placing did not tell the complete story. Grant had five scoring runners finish between Lincoln’s fourth and fifth runners, according to DyeStat, but Lincoln’s earlier placements were enough to secure the lower total. In cross country, the team with the fewest scoring points wins.
Lincoln had finished third at the 2025 edition with 156 points, behind Summit and Ida B. Wells. All five athletes who scored for Lincoln this year were also in its 2025 championship lineup, according to meet records. The 2026 title marked the school’s first boys’ team victory in the event’s six-year history.
The invitational followed the Portland Marathon’s scheduled October 4 date by five days. Ahead of that road race, organizers had announced community running training events for local participants. The Rose City invitational, by comparison, featured school-based competition and team scoring.
Ellery Lincoln Repeats as Shibata Wins the Boys’ Race
Lincoln senior Ellery Lincoln completed the girls’ championship 5,000 meters in 16:34.5, more than 26 seconds ahead of the next finisher. She also won at Rose City Golf Course in 2025, when meet results recorded her time as 16:56.96.
South Eugene sophomore Evangeline Johnson Hess finished second in 17:01.1. Coquille junior Ella Henthorn received the same published time but was placed third after a close finish. OSAAtoday described the result as a photo finish, with Johnson Hess holding second in the final standings.
Ellery Lincoln’s latest victory followed her first-place result at the October 3 Chile Pepper Festival in Arkansas, where she ran 16:13.0. Because the events used different courses, the times are separate results rather than a direct comparison of performance. Lincoln and Shibata entered Rose City as the defending Oregon Class 6A individual cross-country champions.
Shibata won the boys’ championship in 14:20.7, ahead of North Eugene senior Ashenafi McKinnis in 14:32.6. Ida B. Wells junior George Lora recorded Portland’s highest boys’ individual finish, taking third in 14:35.3. Sage Creek junior Grant Beasley was fourth in 14:38.1.
Shibata, who previously won the Bob Firman Invitational in Idaho, told DyeStat he had expected to race alongside other highly ranked runners. With some leading Summit athletes absent, the contest “ended up being more like a time trial,” he said.
The individual results represented two Oregon schools and two cities. Lincoln’s girls’ victory came at the same meet where its boys won the team standings, while Shibata represented South Eugene. Lora’s third-place finish also placed another Portland Interscholastic League athlete among the leading boys.
Sage Creek Wins Girls’ Team Title as Youth Races Join Meet
Sage Creek of California won the 20-team girls’ championship with 89 points. South Eugene finished second at 133, Sherwood was third at 197, and Banks followed at 200, according to OSAAtoday.
Sage Creek’s scoring group included twins Isabel and Beatrice Gladden, who took sixth and 16th, respectively, according to DyeStat. The results illustrated the difference between the individual and team championships. Ellery Lincoln was first across the line, but Sage Creek earned the lowest combined team score.
The Rose City Championship Invite also scheduled races for younger runners. Lincoln Youth Cross Country listed a 3.2-kilometer middle-school boys’ race at 10 a.m. and a girls’ race at 10:30 a.m. The program identified high-school, middle-school and elementary races on the day’s schedule.
Those events placed the varsity championship within a wider Portland youth sports scene, while keeping age-group competitions separate. The Rose City Cross Country schedule included runners from elementary through high-school levels alongside the championship divisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Rose City Cross Country boys’ team title?
Lincoln High School won the boys’ team championship with 73 points. Grant finished second with 153 points, and Franklin placed third with 155.
Who won the individual five-kilometer races?
South Eugene’s Yosuke Shibata won the boys’ race in 14:20.7. Lincoln High School’s Ellery Lincoln won the girls’ race in 16:34.5.
Where was the Rose City Championship Invite held?
The sixth annual meet took place on Friday, October 9, 2026, at Rose City Golf Course in Portland. Lincoln High School hosted the event.
Which school won the girls’ team championship?
Sage Creek of California won the girls’ team title with 89 points. South Eugene was second with 133, followed by Sherwood and Banks.
