2023 Fall High School Sports Preview: Cross Country capsules for Greater Spokane League

Capsules for the 2023 boys and girls cross country programs in the Greater Spokane League.

In alphabetical order by classification.

4A/3A

Central Valley: Kara Ames takes over as the girls head coach. The Bears return two state participants – senior Lily Nielsen and junior Mackenzie Munn. In the boys, senior Jacob Nicholls, the Bears No. 2 runner a year ago, returns along with sophomore John Troxel, one of the best freshmen in the GSL last year.

Cheney: The boys have been tabbed by the coaches as the preseason favorite. They’re led by junior Calvin Hilton, who took 16th at state last year. The Blackhawks return six others with state experience. GSL fans won’t have to wait long for a showdown of league favorites. Cheney visits Mt. Spokane in the first week of meets, Sept. 20. Among the girls, Hannah Ward, Karlee Pope and Maggie Boggs return with state experience. Sophomore Caitlin Shaffer was a state champ in wheelchair.

Ferris: The Saxons boys are light on state experience, but coach Tom Van Winkle is optimistic. “We will be more competitive this season due to a strong senior leadership team,” he said. Girls state qualifiers Alaynia Ditto and Darla Kelly are back. “This team is the definition of hard working. They continue to put in the miles and hard work,” coach Julie Shogan said.

Gonzaga Prep: Boys coach Steven Kutsch finds himself in the middle of a rebuilding project. “After graduating three of our top seven and losing another to play a different sport, our main focus is to build a strong culture and get the young guys excited about the next few years,” Kutsch said. The G-Prep girls return state qualifiers Eva Kelly and Makena Krauss, both sophomores.

Lewis and Clark: Junior Katie Lubbe, 15th at state last year, will lead the Tigers. Maegan Gomes takes over for longtime coach Kevin Swaim. “We look to build on the experience of our young returners,” Gomes said. “We have a pretty big freshman class and we’re excited to see what they’ll bring to the table.” Junior Harper Churape, 26th at state last year, returns for the boys along with state qualifiers Parker Whitmore and Ryan Chavez.

Mead: The Panthers girls, defending league champs, are picked to repeat. They are led by seniors Charlotte Cullen and Raegan Borg, who finished 11th and 12th, respectively, at state last year. Mead’s boys are led by junior Jaedon Phillips.

Mt. Spokane: The boys took third at state last year and will challenge Cheney for the league title. They’re led by juniors Kade Brownell and Parker Westermann. Brownell was 14th at state last year and Westermann took 19th. Experience returns on the girls team. “We lost Charlotte Pedersen, undefeated in the GSL last year, but return a solid top three in Jane Wycoff, a much improved Serenity Marek and Brianna McKell,” coach Andy Sonneland said. “Sisters Karly and Ainsley Bowen look to round out a solid top five.”

North Central: Senior Micaiah Aden will lead the boys. “We have a strong group of returning seniors and some solid underclassmen,” coach Andrew Kimpel said. “We look to be more competitive this year and challenge for a state berth.” Brooke Lawrence, Becca Wade and Ali Johnson will lead the girls. “They are a hard-working group of runners and they will surprise others as they continue to progress throughout the season,” coach Jan Janke said.

Ridgeline: Ollie Bruck, Nico Cisneros and Nolan Rabe, all juniors, lead the boys. “We are still a very young team, but our team culture took a very positive turn this summer during training,” coach Peter McArthur said. “We had several incoming freshmen turn out over the summer.”

University: State participants Libby Roberts, a junior, and sophomores Chloe Nelson and Kyla Roberts return. Coach Todd Hawley said strong summer training should make an impact. The University boys return a strong pack of runners.

2A

Clarkston: Taylor Celigoy and Claire Dooley return for the girls and Samuel Polis, Xander VanTine and Jacen Farrally are back for the boys.

East Valley: The Knights boast the defending state girls champ in senior Logan Hofstee. EV hopes to earn one of two state berths.

Rogers: The girls are led by senior Donalda Brantley and sophomore Savannah Taylor. “Rogers is starting the season with a full varsity roster and more,” coach Katherine Charters said. “While most of our runners are freshmen with little experience, the increase in participation and commitment shows promise.” Said boys coach Chris Morlan: “Rogers continues to need runners. Most returners bought into the system last year by going out for track and participating in summer conditioning. I suspect we’ll be more competitive than last year.”

Pullman: The girls are led by returning state qualifier Shahad Akasha, a junior. “This team has really great energy and they are working hard and together,” coach Allix Potratz-Lee said. Senior Leo Hoffman leads the boys.

Shadle Park: “Despite our top two graduating, we are returning a strong group of competitors who have been putting in the work,” Highlanders boys coach Rob Warnock said. “They are joined by a talented freshman class.” Girls coach Shawn Howard has similar thoughts about his team. “We have a talented group of runners returning and a great freshman class,” Howard said.

West Valley: The Eagles return senior Tony Belko, who placed 13th at state last year. The girls return six of seven state qualifiers led by junior Hadassah Duff, who placed 19th. “We only graduated one varsity athlete, but still need to close up a sizable gap between our No. 1 and No. 5 to stay competitive,” coach John Moir said. Girls coach Mark Esvelt sees a competitive league. “The league will be stronger this year,” he said. “Shadle Park is the team to beat and Pullman is always solid. We will need to avoid injuries and put together good race strategies to be competitive.”