University Boys End Mead String With First-Ever Cross Country Title

When a trio of University High sophomore runners were plotting to win a state cross country title by their senior year, Kris Martin still thought himself a football player.

“When you get a free paid road trip,” he said of his decision to give cross country a one-year trial, “you know you like it.”

Two years later, Martin, one of three juniors on the team, finished fifth overall and second for the Titans in the State 4A race. He helped the seniors realize their goal.

University not only won its first state title, but also ended a nine-year championship string by Mead.

“They ran at us, but we competed well,” said coach Bob Barbero, savoring the finest moment of his 21-year career. “The kids have been doing that all season. It was my most relaxing year.”

Beating the school that personifies Spokane’s state cross country dominance was not what motivated Martin to become a distance runner.

“I just went out and trained with the fastest guys,” he said. “The faster you run, the better the road trips.”

Saturday’s trip to Pasco couldn’t have been much better.

All seven Titans ran among the 150-runner meet’s top 43 placers, less than a minute separating them.

Included were juniors Mark Davis, 27th overall and U-Hi’s fifth scorer, and Mike Visintainer, 43rd.

“That’s a national ranking,” exclaimed senior Seth Mott, who finished second individually to Mt. Spokane’s Tom Becker. “If that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will. They like the pack thing.”

Mott, who said he took a wrong turn, was two seconds behind Becker.

“I don’t know if it made a difference,” he said, “but I lost three or four seconds going the wrong way.”

The seeds for U-Hi’s first boys state championship in any sport were sown, said Mott, when this year’s seniors were sophomores.

“We won at the Shadle Park Invitational and right then knew we were the best in that class,” he said. “We kind of told ourselves we’ve got to win state when we’re seniors.”

Actually, interjected Jeff Rees, the thought occurred a year earlier, before Mott joined the team.

“Our freshman year down at the SunFair (in Yakima) we won as a team,” said Rees. “From each class race on we always won. We always had a state title as a goal.”

Rees and Matt Pierce were on that freshman team. They finished as U-Hi’s fourth and sixth runners on Saturday, 21st and 42nd overall.

Dan Chavez is the other senior who as a sophomore had a part in that Highlander victory. Despite a spike wound to his ankle that sent him tumbling and forced a restart of the race, U-Hi’s season-long No. 2 runner placed 11th overall.

Martin picked up the slack in U-H’s time of need.

Martin’s mother Karen remembered when her thensophomore son said he had decided to run instead of play football.

“Tom (her husband) wouldn’t hear of it,” she said. “He was a football player and sprinter. I think Kris changed his mind and we went along with him.”

They’ve since become cross country fans, following the team to all its invitational triumphs.

They were among the myriad former runners, parents and University High staff on hand in Pasco to witness history.

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