U-Hi Ends Mead’s 10-Year Streak

Cross country

Ronald Reagan sat in the Oval Office.

The Florida Marlins didn’t exist and the Cleveland Indians (61-101) barely existed.

Seth Mott was a second-grader at Adams Elementary in the Valley.

Ten years and two days ago, the Mead Panthers last lost a Greater Spokane League boys cross country meet.

University (7-0) ended the streak in a big way Wednesday, placing five runners in the top six to defeat Mead 17-38 at Shadle Park.

“You’d have to be a runner to really realize the Mead dynasty and what it’s about,” said U-Hi senior Mott, who won the 3-mile race in 15 minutes, 41 seconds.

Mead (6-1) had won 79 consecutive league meets since an Oct. 14, 1987, loss to Shadle. Instead of licking their wounds after the race, the Panthers looked ahead.

“I told them this is the best any Mead team has competed in the last four years,” said Mead coach/dynasty builder Pat Tyson.

“We’re in the hunt to be very competitive with our bunch of blue-collar runners.”

Mott and teammate Dan Chavez built an early gap on the field. Mead had four runners in the top 10 and Chris Deulen in third place near the halfway point, but U-Hi’s Kris Martin passed Deulen to assure the win.

Chavez (15:51) and Martin (15:55) celebrated with Mott, then watched Mark Davis (16:11) and Jeff Rees (16:12) come in right behind Deulen. The next four runners, all Panthers, were within 7 seconds of Rees.

“U-Hi’s just a great team, I think people have to realize,” Tyson said. “They’re one of the top 10 teams, I think, in the nation.”

The girls race at Shadle may have also decided the league title, as U-Hi (7-0) received a boost from its 4-6 runners during a 27-30 win over Mead (6-1).

U-Hi’s Jaime Miller (18:45) beat Panthers Annie McCabe, Rachae Probst and Kelley Mattingly to the tape. The scales tipped away from Mead when Titans Nos. 4-6, Michelle Pierce, Kristin Thornton and Katie List, finished ahead of Mead’s No. 4.

“That’s the neat team concept about cross country,” said Titans coach Steve Llewellyn. “It’s not all about your lead girls.”

Miller and McCabe ran neck-to-neck for the first mile. McCabe edged ahead, as she had done at the Curtis (Tacoma) Invitational, but Miller fought back.

“To start out the year we weren’t that strong,” Miller said. “But we’ve bonded together. We’re all so close; that helps a lot.”

Elsewhere among GSL boys, Ferris (5-2) tied Lewis and Clark for third place by defeating the Tigers and Gonzaga Prep (3-3) at Manito Park. Ferris’ Dan Schruth ran the 3 miles in 16:03. Rick White (16:13) ran second for G-Prep, which competed without two of its top runners. LC placed all seven runners ahead of Ferris’ No. 5.

North Central (3-3), behind runner-up Brian Donovan, won a three-way at Mt. Spokane’s home course near Greenbluff. Mt. Spokane’s Tom Becker ran the 3.1 miles in 16:27, one-half minute ahead of Donovan.

Among GSL girls, Ferris (4-3) edged LC (5-2) 27-28 at Manito as Emily Hawkins (19:07) and Jill Johnson (19:46) ran 1-2 for the Saxons. LC ran without one of its best, Jamie Rosenquist, who has had stomach flu.

CV (4-3) bunched together on Mt. Spokane’s course, with Leslie Meredith (21:04) edging Wendy Wagar and Aubre Deberham.

The season ends Wednesday.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo