Mead Opens On Roll

GSL cross country

The site was different, but the outcome eerily similar when three Greater Spokane League boys cross country title favorites opened the season for the second straight year.

Defending champion Mead, with brothers Chris and Jesse Fayant finishing second and third just like last year, got a leg up on the competition again.

The Panthers (3-0) defeated rival Mt. Spokane (2-1) 24-32 and Shadle Park (1-2) 23-38, despite Highlander Michael Kiter’s convincing victory.

“This is as good a meet as you can have,” said Mead coach Pat Tyson of the tightly packed contest. “That was a very, very tough Mt. Spokane, and Kiter was on a mission.”

Mt. Spokane beat Shadle 24-35, and all three schools beat host Rogers at Finch Arboretum.

In other competition, host Ferris (2-0) upset defending state champion University (1-1) 26-29. Both schools defeated Central Valley (0-2).

At East Valley, Lewis and Clark went 3-0, beating North Central in a tiebreaker. NC was 2-1, East Valley earned its first-ever GSL win and Gonzaga Prep went 0-3.

In girls competition, Mead (3-0) won a stirring 27-28 victory over Shadle Park (2-1). Both schools beat Mt. Spokane (1-2) and Rogers (0-3), which had an incomplete team.

Defending league co-champion North Central (3-0) dominated Lewis and Clark (2-1), Gonzaga Prep (1-2) and East Valley (0-3) in their four-way meet at EV.

University (2-0) won handily over Central Valley (1-1) and Ferris (0-2).

GSL boys:Over the first half of the race, the entire pack of Panthers, Wildcats and Highlanders ran bunched together.

“Coach wanted us to take it easy the first lap, then do what we had to the second lap,” said Chris Fayant.

The same held true for Kiter. His win came four days after he finished third at the Highlander Invitational, the victim of cramps.

“It came at the worst time possible, right when I was about to take off,” said Kiter. “All I wanted today was basically a personal record and let that be that.”

He got it in 15:45, with the Fayant brothers running identical 16:06s behind him on the 3.1-mile course.

“On a positive note,” said Mt. Spokane coach Craig Deitz. “We got spanked a lot worse last year.”

At Ferris High School, the resurgent Saxons stunned state champion University by placing three runners among the top four and both teams nearly swept Central Valley.

Andrew Ice ran a course record 16:05. He was followed by Ben Hawkins and Dave Betts.

LC and NC tied 28-28 with the outcome decided by the higher-finishing Tigers sixth runner. Individually, Gonzaga Prep’s John Ulmen edged NC’s Matthew Larsen.

GSL girls: Sophomore Jamie Geissler supplanted Amy Toliver as Mead’s No. 1 runner.

But in Panthers coach Wes Player’s estimation, without Toliver, his team wouldn’t be undefeated.

“Shadle ran better than they did Saturday,” he said. “Our big difference was Amy.”

Toliver’s fourth-place performance was her best this year, reminiscent of last season’s state placing form.

Geissler finished first ahead of a pair of Highlanders, freshman Rachelle Boquist and senior Heidi Sawatzky. Last year, she was Mead’s No. 7 runner.

“Last year, I had shin splints at the start of the summer and ran on speed, but no endurance,” she said.

Elsewhere, NC runners assured victory with Katie Graesser, Katie Whittaker and Laura Hodgson finishing first through third. East Valley standout Melanie Frostad was running with the leaders when she sprained an ankle and could not finish.

Although CV junior Kelly Warner took individual honors, U-Hi (2-0) had the next six finishers, separated by just 30 seconds, to win handily.