Shot put mark in hand, Mead’s Simon Rosselli turns attention to discus record | Prep track notebook

It may be spring break but that doesn’t mean there’s time for an intermission.

Not if you’re Simon Rosselli.

The stupendous Mead High thrower is ramping up his preparation for the Arcadia Invitational this weekend after a stunning showing at the Oregon Relays last weekend.

Let’s catch you up.

Rosselli broke the school record in the shot put Saturday morning, pushing the 12-pound metal ball 65 feet. It broke a 36-year-old record held by Jason Baskett at 64-10½.

It’s one of two records Rosselli had on his mind going into the season. The other well-noted mark he’s chasing is the national discus record.

He entered the year with a personal best 59-10½ in the shot. Three of his throws in four events this spring have been over 60 feet.

Rosselli now is within eyesight of the Washington high school shot record of 68-8½, set by Vince Goldsmith of Mount Tahoma in 1977. That’s nearly a 50-year-old mark.

He was pleased to break the school record.

“Just a lot of training and finally put it together,” Rosselli said.

Rosselli wants to break the all-time Washington record, but that’s not his focus right now.

“I have it in my sights, but the national record for discus comes first,” he said.

Rosselli hasn’t yet threatened the national discus record of 237-6, set by Olympic champion Ryan Crouser in 2011 – at least not in an event. But his consistency so far through four events is spectacular.

All of his throws have been more than 200 feet. He’s on pace to unleash a historic heave. He’s thrown 210-6, 206-11, 201-3 and 214-2 to win at the Oregon Relays last weekend.

Mead coach James Lehr summed up well Rosselli’s trip to the Oregon Relays : “Simon had a great weekend.”

He heads to Southern California for the Arcadia Invitational – site of his sensational career-best a year ago when he threw 218-7.

His consistency can be measured. He’s throwing nearly 4 feet further than a year ago when he had one meet early where he didn’t land a legal mark in the sector.

“It definitely shows me the work I put in in the offseason wasn’t for nothing,” Rosselli said of his early-season consistency. “It means that the discus is ready for a big throw here soon.”

He knows the national record throw is within reach.

“I’ve had a lot of big throws in practice and remnants of it in meets,” he said. “There’s no better place than at Arcadia.”

Recovering from injury

Mt. Spokane junior sprinting sensation Laine Gardner hasn’t competed yet this season.

Gardner, who won three state championships last spring, is recovering from a soft-tissue leg injury. She declined to be more specific.

Gardner says she will return. She’s just being cautious.

A change in format

The Greater Spokane League will decide individual and team titles in a different format for a third straight year.

The GSL will hold a championship meet in early may at Cheney where all 4A and 3A teams collide to determine titles.

The following week teams will gather at Central Valley in the subdistrict meet to qualify for district. The GSL used the subdistrict meet last year to determine league titles, but it turned out to be a cluster and wasn’t head-to-head competition between 4A and 3A athletes.

Coaches hope the new format will be much better.

Two years ago, coaches abandoned the old format, dual meets, to determine league titles. The GSL was the lone conference in the state to use dual meets to decide champions.

It’s becoming more difficult to stage meets. The biggest hurdles coaches face are getting enough volunteers to put on meets. With 18 boys and 18 girls events, it takes a crew to stage a meet. Gone are the days when coaches had plenty of volunteers.

The other challenging factor is transportation to meets. School districts are facing transportation issues for all sports.

Coaches have spent much time debating and dissecting all options to come up with the best scenario to determine league champions. They should be applauded for it.

Cheney coach Derek Slaughter is looking forward to hosting the league finale.

“We are getting it right this year,” Slaughter said.

“I personally like the schedule where we could go against everybody in a dual meet and determine a winner that way,” Mt. Spokane girls coach Annette Helling said. “That is a true dual meet champion. (The new way) seems to be an invitational. I know it’s difficult to do the dual meet with the number of schools we have and with the scoring system being limited. But for now this will work until we come up with something else.”

Central Valley coach Chuck Bowden is a GSL historian. He’s in his 36th year as the Bears boys head coach. So when he speaks, people are wise to listen.

“The reality is we’re not the original nine-school GSL,” Bowden said. “I’m old school. I always thought it was special we were the only league in the state to crown a champion through dual meets.”

Times have changed with the growth of the league.

Bowden pointed out it takes nearly three dozen volunteers to put on league and district meets. It’s more difficult to find enough help and that explains why not every school wants to host a meet.

Bowden said Cheney is the perfect site for the league championship meet.

The District 6 meet rotates back to the GSL and will be held at CV.

Early season results

A number of area athletes have posted state-leading times/marks through the first three weeks of the season.

Here’s a sampling of who is doing what:

4A: The aforementioned Rosselli is far and away the leader in the shot and discus. Lewis and Clark’s Jacob Gering and Elijah Tobin and Mead’s Stejer Franklin are posting times competitive with other long-distance runners.

The Mead boys 4x400-meter relay of Trevelle Jones, Carter Williams, Jonah Wiser and Aaron Pooler has the best time (3 minutes, 23.79 seconds).

Mead junior Mercedes Gilroy, the defending state champ in the javelin, leads the state with a throw of 139-11.

3A: Adam Judd of CV leads in discus (177-8); teammate Owen Beal leads in javelin (176-5); Rock Franklin of Mt. Spokane leads in long jump (21-11); Joseph Hilton of CV is second in triple jump (45-8); Alisa Messing of Cheney leads in the 100 (12.24) and 200 (24.96) and is third in the 400 (57.19); Jane Wycoff of Mt. Spokane is second in 1,600 (4:59.16); University’s 4x400 of Kyla Roberts, Peyton Richter, Ainsley Miller and Mariah Denney lead with 4:03.15 followed by Cheney’s Messing, Matisse Prescot, Sarah Hanson and Allie Burton at 4:05.44; Hannah Rash of Mt. Spokane is second in shot (41-2); Arkayla Brown of North Central leads in javelin (132-6); and Charlize Hall of NC is second in pole vault (12-0).

2A: Preston Kaesemeyer of Rogers leads in 300 hurdles (39.82) and is second in 110 (15.17); Erik Borg of West Valley is second in javelin (174-3); Michael Surprise of East Valley is second in pole vault (13-6); Lauren Matthew of WV leads in 400 (55.75) and is second in 200 (24.92); Weather Salinas-Taylor of EV leads in 100 hurdles (15.28); and Ashlynn Deaton of EV is second in triple jump (35-4½).

1A: Brody Doran of Lakeside is second in 100 (10.77) and third in 200 (22.55); Jacob Smith, Silas Kaluza, Tanner Cummin and Doran of Lakeside are first in 4x400 (3:30.87); Mel Hatch of Lakeside leads in shot (59-2) and discus (174-1); Jett Winger of Lakeside is second in javelin (172-3); and Darnell Ah Loo of Colville leads in triple jump (44-½); Layla Jones, Tea Simonson, Izzy Delzer and Lainee Higgins of Lakeside lead in 4x400 (4:05.87).

2B: Per Sande of Saint George’s leads in 200 (22.73); Justice Whittekiend of Chewelah leads in 800 and 1,600 and is second in 3,200; Trenton Sandborn of Freeman leads in 110 hurdles (14.87) and high jump (6-8); Tyce Gilbert of Freeman leads in triple jump (21-5¾); Glenna Soliday of Davenport leads in 100 hurdles (15.59) and teams with Charlotte Soliday, Addy O’Connell and Josie Wynecoop to lead in 4x400 (4:21.44); Regan Thomas of Saint George’s leads in 800 (2:22.44) and 1,600 (5:14.0); Allie Roberts of Northwest Christian leads in 3,200 (11.37.41); Fiona Anderson of Freeman leads in pole vault (11-7); and Rylie Rettedal of NWC leads in triple jump (35-4½).

1B: David Jackson of Republic leads in 100 (11.18) and 200 (23.42); Richard Sandwick of Cusick leads in 800, 1,600 and 3,200; Jameson Davis of Selkirk leads in javelin (164-6); Brady Roberts of Almira/Coulee-Hartline leads in long jump (21-3) and triple jump (44-5½); Kyra Brantner of Garfield-Palouse leads in 100 (12.60), long jump (17-1½) and triple jump (35-7½).