Gsl Track Season Starts With New Look

The Greater Spokane League track season starts earlier than usual with a new look. With the addition of Mt. Spokane, the league has broken into two five-team divisions. Instead of three triple-duals on Thursdays, there will be four dual meets each Thursday, beginning this afternoon. All meets start at 3:45.

Rogers, Ferris, University, Shadle Park and Gonzaga Prep are in one division with North Central, Mead, Central Valley, Lewis and Clark and Mt. Spokane in the other.

The teams don’t cross divisions, so each team has one bye during the five-week season.

After the five weeks, the top two in each division will compete for the league title. The third-place teams also will match up, along with the fourths and fifths.

The girls championship is scheduled for May 6 with the boys the next day. The following week, the district meet will be held at Central Valley. The regional is May 22-23 at Richland.

The divisions were determined by a draw.

The Frontier League season doesn’t begin until April 23, but it starts with a bang - league favorites West Valley and East Valley meet. The Great Northern League also begins April 23.

The Ferris Big Red Invite is Saturday at the school with field events starting at 10 a.m. and timed events at 11. All GSL teams except Shadle Park and Gonzaga Prep are among the 17 teams. Admission is $1.

Play ball

Every area softball league except one, and all Class B baseball leagues will have begun league play by the end of the weekend.

The Frontier and Great Northern, both fastpitch leagues, and Panorama and Whitman County, Class B slowpitch leagues, will beat the Bi-County League to the softball diamonds. The Bi-Co, another Class B slowpitch league, begins next week.

The year’s biggest softball change is in the GNL, which has accepted Northeast A League teams Colfax, Kettle Falls and Freeman to form an 11-team league. GNL teams won’t play nonleague games.

Reardan, the other NEA team, is playing an independent schedule. The Indians will play a pigtail game against Caribou Trail League No. 8 once playoffs arrive.

Defending softball champions are: West Valley, Frontier (tied with current GNL member Colville); Davenport, Bi-County; Springdale, Panorama; and Garfield-Palouse, Whitman County. Kettle Falls won the NEA last year.

The three Class B baseball leagues begin Saturday. The Frontier, GNL and NEA wait until April 4.

Defending baseball champs are: Cheney, Frontier; Davenport and Almira/CouleeHartline, Bi-County; Northwest Christian, Panorama; and Gar-Pal, Whitman. Lakeside, now of the GNL, won last year’s NEA.

Love-love

GNL and Bi-County tennis will also start within the week.

Six teams play in the GNL, with Newport and Colville the lone exceptions. The “Bi-County” includes six regular Bi-Co teams, St. George’s of the Panorama, LaCrosse-Washtucna of the Whitman and Freeman of the NEA.

GSL tennis holds its rackets until after spring break, on April 14.

, DataTimes