What might have been

It was nearly a clean sweep for Greater Spokane League cross country runners during the annual Highlander Invitational at Shadle Park on Saturday.

Gonzaga Prep’s Michael Skansgaard is kicking himself that the GSL wasn’t one runner closer to that sweep.

On a day when the weather cooperated and the meet was run as efficiently as usual, Mead boys and girls won three of seven team races. The Ferris and North Central boys, and Lewis and Clark’s girls won one team race apiece.

GSL athletes triumphed in five of seven individual races, including one record-setting effort, and Skansgaard could have been the sixth.

But he eased visibly at the end of the senior boys race, the day’s final event, and let Plains’ Dane Steward slip by him at the finish line. Both timed 12 minutes, 46 seconds, the day’s fastest.

“The race went as planned. I thought I had him and I eased up at the line,” said Skansgaard. “That was the worst thing I’ve ever done. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

Several different runners took turns leading the 2.5-mile race, including the Ferris trio of Ben Poffenroth, Brendan Chestnut and Peter Hawkins, all of whom led the Saxons to an easy team title, 39-78 over Kamiakin.

Skansgaard hung behind them before moving up after Steward made his move. As the race came to it conclusion, Skansgaard overtook the Montana runner, but he underestimated Steward’s finishing kick.

“I thought he was dead and that was my mistake,” Skansgaard said. “I should know better by now. I’m a senior. But I congratulate him. He ran a great race.”

Becca Noble of Rogers pulled away from the field in the varsity girls race on a mild and sunny, if slightly breezy day. Her 15:08 was the second-fastest for the course, behind Flathead (Mont.) phenom Zoe Nelson’s 13:52 in 2002.

Noble found herself in an early battle with Wenatchee’s Kristen Ballinger.

“I just charged up the hill a little bit, then didn’t see her again,” Noble said

Eventual runner-up Kim Tritz, from Big Sky in Montana, timed 15:23, third-best in history. Team winner Kamiakin scored 124 points with Mead second.

Noble expressed satisfaction with her effort, although she said her race plan changed somewhat.

“I didn’t know Mt. Spokane was not going to run,” she said. “The plan when I started was to stay behind Megan (O’Reilly) and go from there, but she wasn’t here.”

Finishing 11th in the race was Katie Campbell, a three-time state cross country and track placer for Deer Park, now competing for Lakeside.

“We moved this summer,” Campbell said. “It’s good and bad. I miss my coach more than anything.”

The junior boys winner, East Valley’s Nick Atwood, was something of a surprise. Atwood let Robert Cosby of Ferris force the early pace, just as the Saxons senior trio did, then reeled in Cosby and pulled away.

So, too, did Mead’s Steven Gimpel, who worked his way up from farther in the pack to finish 1 second behind Atwood’s 13:02 and 5 seconds ahead of Cosby. NC, with three runners in the top 10, scored 35 points to runner-up Mead’s 71.

Atwood, who didn’t begin training until summer basketball ended, said the victory was sweet, since Cosby beat him in the all-league junior varsity two-mile last spring.

“I went to NC’s training camp, put in a whole lot of miles and just kind of got better,” he said. “I was going to let them go out and keep with Cosby, then hope for the best in the last mile.”

Shadle’s Peter Miller set a sophomore race record, clocking 12:59, the day’s fifth-best time. He won by 8 seconds over Mead’s Taylor Nepon, one of four Panthers among the top 11. Mead beat Ferris 27-60 for team honors.

Miller had two reasons for wanting to do well.

“I wanted to get under 13:07, which was my pace on Wednesday, then I’d be happy,” he said. “And I kind of wanted to get the record.”

His second reason: Because teammate Dan Renz had won the freshman race, it would be the first time, according to Miller, that Shadle won two titles at the same Highlander.

LC’s girls dominated the freshman race, scoring 27 points to Mead’s 56. Tigers Taylor Yost and Logan Amstadter finished first and third, with Lakeside’s Kayloni Jones in between.