Runners at the ready

This will be Steve Llewellyn’s farewell tour.

The University High School girls cross country coach will retire at the end of the 2004 season after 21 years leading the Titans.

“Next year at this time I’ll just be an interested bystander,” he said. “I’ll be that old fart that comes in to start meets. I’m sure I’ll have some fairly severe withdrawal.

“I’m going out feeling good about this program. I’m going to be 59 and I’m anxious to get some new challenges going in my life.”

Llewellyn began his professional life practicing law. In fact he practiced law for 10 years before selling his practice and taking up teaching.

By Llewellyn standards, this is a typical year for University. The Titans have 48 athletes turning out, with a few more expected now that classes have officially started.

In the rest of the league, there are changes afoot.

East Valley drops down to join West Valley, Cheney, Clarkston and North Central in the Class 3A half of the Greater Spokane League.

Not that the road to state is appreciably easier, no matter what size the school

“Yes, it’s tough getting to state Class 4A,” East Valley coach Dave McCarty said. “It’s pretty tough getting to state in Eastern Washington, period.”

Central Valley

“I think we’re going to be competitive,” girls coach Dennis McGuire said. “But I think the whole league is that way, with Mt. Spokane leading the way and the rest of us trying to fight our way into it.”

The Bears are led by junior Anna Layman, who battled shin splints all last season, a condition that limited her ability to practice, let alone run.

Layman turned it on at the end of the season, however, gutting her way to an eighth-place finish at the Eastern Regional meet and her second straight berth in the State 4A meet.

“I think we’re going to be stronger this year,” McGuire said. “Last year we had four strong runners, but we just didn’t have that fifth runner to score for us. I think we have that this year. I think we’re a little deeper.”

Adrienne Duval, a first-time cross country runner, senior transfer Katee Nauert, junior Elizabeth Schultz, sophomores Robyn Swanson and Laura Murphy and freshmen Melinda Miller and Katelynn Williams round out the varsity roster.

Coach John Preston’s Bears are one of several Valley boys squads that will get a better idea of their outlook after the All-Valley cross country meet today at Liberty Lake.

East Valley

Right now two runners are pushing hard to take over the No. 1 spot for the Knights.

Senior Keith Holt, fresh from winning two gold medals at a Down Under International Games in Australia this summer, and junior Nick Atwood are pushing one another for the top spot, with Holt determined not to give any ground.

“I was running with them the other day and Keith took off toward the end of the run,” coach McCarty said. “I think he’s a little nervous about the whole thing.”

McCarty and Holt have been pointing toward this season since the latter’s freshman year.

Max Dollfe, also a four-year varsity runner, and fellow senior Matt Tonani are joined by rapidly growing sophomores John Marlow and Tyler Thatcher on the varsity.

“John must have grown 6 inches since last year,” McCarty said. “Tyler grew almost as much, at least 3 or 4 inches.”

Girls coach Nick Lazanis has been pleased with the dedication his squad showed over the summer, putting in more training miles.

Junior Jo E. Mayer became the squad’s leader a year ago and her determination is contagious.

University

Llewellyn has strength in numbers.

As usual, the Titans have a legion of runners — 48 at last count, with a dozen girls vying for a spot on the varsity.

Sophomore Karen Owens is the stealth runner of the group, a No. 1 runner that is on no one’s radar screen as the season gets under way. Owen broke her leg a year ago and did not run at all.

She’s not a total secret, however. Her twin sister, Katie, ran on the varsity a year ago.

The Titans have a strong supporting cast. U-Hi runners finished 1-2-3-4 in both the season-ending junior varsity meet and freshmen races.

Junior Katy Hawkins and sophomore Alicia Johnson both ran on last year’s state-qualifying team. Junior Samantha Evenson and sophomores Leslie Berkseth and Rachel Fridye figure to find a varsity spots.

“I feel like this is finally my team,” said Linda Lanker, starting her second year as boys coach.

Lanker is relying on the All-Valley meet to help shake out the varsity roster. Seniors Matt Engle, Ryan Graham and Matthew Winkler are the team leaders. Junior Forrest Duba and sophomores Bill McElroy, Elliott Nay and Aaron Anderburg figure to be in the mix.

“Aaron Anderburg has just been incredible so far,” Lanker said. “We did a 2-mile time trial and he was right there with Winkler and Engle as our No. 3 guy.”

Lanker got 45 athletes out this fall, putting the boys in a virtual dead-heat with the girls when it comes to size.

“That was one of my goals,” she said. “Hey, I’m competitive, too.”

West Valley

On the road has a double meaning for the Eagle boys.

Coach Jim McLachlan said freshman Richard Keroack told him he is related to “On The Road” author Jack Kerouac.

Keroack ran himself onto coach McLachlan’s varsity, joining seniors Chris Vennum, Wes Riehle, Glen Water, Curtis Fitzhugh, Jeff Degenhardt and junior Kevin Howard.

The soul of this year’s squad is Degenhardt, who currently is battling injury problems.

“We’re hoping to get him back at some point,” McLachlan said. “He’s not our best runner, but he’s the heart and soul of the team. He’s such a gutty runner that he inspires the whole team.”

The girls squad also has its share of injury problems.

Senior Kristyne Westermann, who battled a shin injury a year ago, developed a stress fracture of her femur early last month and has yet to be cleared to run.

“She’s doing pool workouts and feels really good right now,” McLachlan said. “It just depends on when she gets cleared to run.”

Senior Janelle Britton, the team’s No. 3 runner, injured a knee and sophomore Katie Junkins has battled a kidney infection, leaving the coach scratching his head while filling out a lineup.

“With our No. 1 and No. 3 runners sidelined, our No. 1 runner is a junior, Larson Agee,” the coach said. “Senior Lindsay Wojtech has worked awfully hard all summer and sophomore Kindra White is ahead of where she was last year.”

The Eagles worked hard over the summer raising funds for a trip to the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., manning a concession booth during Spokane Indians home games.

Freeman

The Scotties are in good shape heading into today’s Freeman Invitational.

Coach Lisa Phelan has a strong junior class as the backbone of the boys varsity, led by No. 1 runner Patrick Lewis, No. 3 Danny Matthews and No. 5 Andy Nonnenmacher. Senior Pete Olmsted figures to be the team’s No. 2 and sophomores Patrick Forshag and Jake Gunn figure to be No. 6 and 7, respectively. The surprise, so far, is freshman Chad Monson, who is No. 4.

The girls graduated two strong senior leaders in Ariel Grubb and Amber Raines, but Grubb-Raines II will be a featured combination for Freeman.

Senior Alisha Raines, Amber’s sister, and sophomore Mara Grubb, Ariel’s sibling, are new to the varsity. Seniors Tyann McFall, Brenna James and Sheree Gould each ran on last year’s state squad.

Junior Tegan Johnson figures to move up from the junior varsity and sophomore Maeve Sayre should crack the top seven.