All-American honors earned by Coupeville High School graduate Hunter Hammer highlighted the athletic efforts of local graduates competing in collegiate spring sports this year.
Hammer achieved All-American status for Trinity Lutheran College (Everett) by placing third in the shot put with a school record throw of 47-11 at the National Christian College Athletic Association track championships in May.
In addition to placing third in the shot put, he finished fifth in the hammer throw (150-05) and 13th in the discus (132-07) at the NCCAA finals.
Hammer also owns the Trinity discus (152-05) and hammer throw (155-06) school records.
The performance in the national meet helped Hammer win the Student-Athlete of the Year Award at Trinity Lutheran.
“He had a great finish to his last season of college competition,” coach Matt Koenigs said. “Hunter is a wonderful young man and was a joy to have on the track team.”
Koenigs noted Hammer still had one year of eligibility left (he red-shirted one of his seasons at Everett Community College) but chose to graduate this spring.
Tyler King, a junior running Division I track for the University of Washington, placed 15th in the 10,000 meters (30:40.03) at the Pac-12 championship meet May 16 in Los Angeles. Two weeks later in Austin, Texas, he ran 30th in the 10,000 (31:39.57) at the NCAA West Preliminaries.
Earlier in the season, King ran a 28:59.37, the fastest 10,000 on the team this spring and the sixth fastest all time at the University of Washington.
He also posted this season’s second fastest 3,000 time (8:20.09) and sixth fastest 1,500 time (3:48.74) for the Huskies.
Madeline Roberts, a freshman on the Shoreline Community College softball team, appeared in all 32 games for the 8-24 Dolphins, hitting .242.
Roberts, a utility player, led the team in being hit by a pitch (3), was fourth in runs (19) and stolen bases (8), and sixth in RBI (12). She also slugged a double and home run.
During the winter, she played on the Dolphin basketball team.
Ben Etzell earned the save in the Minnesota Interscholastic Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship game to help St. John’s University (Collegeville, Minn.) take home the trophy.
Etzell, a freshman, pitched 10 innings during the season for the 26-16 Johnnies, 5.1 coming in the tournament, where he earned both his saves.
He threw scoreless ball in three appearances in the tournament, giving up only one hit and striking out five.
Etzell entered the championship game with two on and one out in the eighth inning as St. John’s held a 3-1 lead. After giving up a hit to load the bases, he induced an inning-ending double-play grounder. He put St. Thomas down in order in the ninth to wrap up the title.
Etzell limited opponents to a team-best .212 batting average this spring and finished with a 2.70 earned run average, third among St. John’s pitchers. He had seven strikeouts and three walks in his 10 innings.
(Ben Etzell, 4, reacts to recording the final out in the championship game.)
