Mt. Spokane girls place first at GSL subdistrict meet
For years, the Greater Spokane League has been the lone conference in the state to decide team championships through dual meets.
When the GSL was founded in 1976, there were nine schools. Head-to-head dual results over the course of four weeks determined team titles. But having 11 schools, coupled with some logistical challenges, has made it a bit unwieldy to determine team champions.
So coaches decided to use the subdistrict meet to decide league crowns this spring.
It may not be the perfect answer and things could change considering 4A and 3A athletes aren’t actually competing head-to-head against each other. On Wednesday and Friday, the athletes were determining berths to the District 6 4A and 3A meets.
The 4A and 3A subdistrict results were merged together, with the Mt. Spokane girls capturing the league championship Friday at Central Valley.
The boys title was too close to call with 3A pole vault still being contested at 9:15 p.m.
Up next will be the District 6 state-qualifying meets Thursday and Friday at Hermiston (Oregon) High School.
The top six 4A individuals and top four relays from subdistrict advance to district.
The top nine 3A individuals and top four relays move on to district.
Mt. Spokane’s girls were runaway winners Friday. The Wildcats rode the heels of a talented sprint core.
It was Mt. Spokane’s first league title in a decade.
“It was an unbelievable meet,” Mt. Spokane coach Annette Helling said. “We couldn’t have had a better meet.”
Leading the way were sophomore Laine Gardner and senior Makenna Ritter. They finished 1-2 in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and assisted the 4x400 relay.
It’s been a school-record setting season for Gardner. She broke the school record in the 100 (11.89 seconds) and Ritter became the second Wildcat to crack 12 seconds (11.98).
Gardner edged Ritter in the 200 in 24.61 – seven-tenths of a second off a school record she set this season.
In the 400, Gardner won in 55.81, breaking the record (56.80).
“I flipped a big switch from last spring to the summer to this spring,” Gardner said. “And I’m so lucky to have McKenna with me because it’s a constant battle and motivation with each other – at practice, in every repetition and race.”
Gardner, Ritter, Kayli Eastham and Kira Ritter perhaps saved the best for the last event – the 4x400 relay. The foursome combined to shave more than seven seconds off their previous best and blow away the school record in 3:50.19. The record was 3:57.55.
“They wanted to send a message that they’re the real deal,” Helling said.
The time ranks No. 1 in 3A by 8 seconds.
Gardner was thrilled with the league title.
“It just shows all of our hard work is paying off,” Gardner said.
The Mt. Spokane and Mead boys were neck-and-neck throughout the meet.
Mt. Spokane won nine events in 3A and Mead captured 10 in 4A.
Mt. Spokane’s talented long-distance duo of seniors Kade Brownell and Parker Westermann finished 1-2 in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.
Brownell also anchored the winning 4x400 relay. Hurdler Aiden Grenier won the 110 (15.02) and 300 (39.28). He also assisted Brownell and Westermann on the 4x400.
Thrower Simon Rosselli and hurdler Jaeland Leman led Mead.
Rosselli captured the shot put (56 feet, 1 inch) and discus (183-1). Leman cruised in the hurdles, winning the 110 (14.21) and 300 (39.47).
Mead coach James Lehr wasn’t sure if he liked the dual format for deciding the league champ or the subdistrict.
“Either way, it’s fun,” Lehr said. “But it’s still to be decided if either format is better.”
Mt. Spokane coach Danny Figueira said team scoring was difficult to follow at subdistrict.
“It’s like trying to keep score in football with a scoreboard,” Figueira said. “It’s like we’re going against a different team that’s playing on a different field.”
Figueira praised his team.
“It went kind of like we planned when we mapped it out,” Figueira said. “We got the kids that we intended to get to move on (to district). We wanted to use it as a vehicle to compete, and we’ll do that again next week.”