Nelson books it to new class

When is a defending cross country state champion not a defending state champion?

In the case of Shadle Park junior Andrea Nelson, it’s when your school switches classifications.

Last year as a sophomore, Nelson blew away the Class 4A field to win state by 16 seconds. This year, although she’d prefer a chance to repeat in the classification, she’ll be chasing down another title in 3A enrollment classification where the Highlanders have moved.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Nelson said. “It’s definitely sad, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

All Nelson can do is to continue working hard and improve on her times.

“I still want to be the best I can be, no matter what classification I’m in,” Nelson said.

One side benefit of the move is that it has increased the possibility that four Greater Spokane League individuals could win state titles when the 2008 overland season, just starting, concludes in Pasco on Nov. 8.

In the girls 4A race, Mead sophomore Baylee Mires, with whom Nelson trained this summer, should be in the picture.

“She could chase a state title even without anyone leaving,” said Mead coach Dori Robertson of her 4:57 1,600-meter state track runner-up last spring.

During last weekend’s Tracy Walters Invitational, both North Central senior Andrew Kimpel and Ferris sophomore Adam Thorne expressed their intent to compete for their respective individual championships.

Kimpel was second behind a senior in last year’s 3A meet, won convincingly by his Indians with 36 points to runner-up Seattle Prep’s 110. Thorne was a state cross country qualifier, regional track 1,600 champion and 3,200 runner-up, timing 4:19.03 and 9:20.71 as a sophomore, although he went unplaced at state.

“I think we both want to be state champs, he in 3A and me in 4A,” Thorne said. “Andy should be the favorite based on last season and my training’s been going good, so I think it’s possible.”

As for Nelson, Shadle coach Bob Isitt said she has grown more than half a foot since bursting onto the scene as a freshman. She was second in State 4A that year before winning last year’s title.

Can she repeat this year?

“It’s hard to tell,” Isitt said. “We’ve put in a lot more mileage this summer and I haven’t emphasized time trials. She hasn’t hit her times, because I’ve worked her right through them.”

Despite the drop to 3A, Nelson will compete against the state’s best during league and invitationals, including this weekend in Olympia against Kingston’s Ruby Roberts. The defending 2A champion last year turned in the second-fastest race time among all classifications, 18:39 to Nelson’s 18:24.

The next week she goes head to head against Mires in the first GSL league meet and then at the Highlander Invitational along with Davis High (Yakima) standout Sandra Martinez.

Nelson also ran second in the state 3,200 last spring, briefly owning the title before Nichole Cochran’s disqualification was overturned, in 10:40.04.

Her time was 8.5 seconds faster than Martinez’s.

“I didn’t have a complete season, because I broke my toe and was out for the first bit,” she said. “It showed me how much work I had to put in during the off-season, and this summer I did. It motivated me to keep pushing.”