Maintaining high grades while balancing three sports can be time-consuming and difficult.

Coupeville High School students, Taniel Lamb and Mike Bagby, made both look easy this year and were rewarded for their efforts earlier this week as 2005 CHS athletes of the year.

“My sister got it before and I thought that was really cool,” Lamb said. “When she got it I was like ‘oh that’s something I want to get too,’ so it was really exciting when I did.”

Lamb, who maintained a 3.99 GPA as a senior, went to state three times this school year in volleyball, basketball and tennis. In her four years as a Wolf, she made seven appearances in state tournaments.

Of all those trips to Yakima, this year’s trip to state tennis stood out as a little extra special to her.

“With basketball and volleyball, they’ve been there other years, but with tennis it’s something totally new, something that no one has really done before, so it was cool just to feel like I’d done something that was new grounds,” she said.

Lamb and doubles teammate Mindy Horr finished second at the 1A state tennis tournament, becoming the first CHS female doubles team or individual to make it to state. Entering the tournament as the lowest seed, they nearly pulled off a big surprise before losing the championship match in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, to the tournament’s top seed from Bush Academy, Aimee Silver and Erica Lawrence.

Lamb also had outstanding years in volleyball and basketball.

As an Northwest A/B first-team outside hitter in volleyball, she had 69 kills and connected on a team-high 87-percent of her digs.

In basketball she scored 7.1 points per game and led the Wolves in assists with 66, helping them to an eighth place finish at state.

Lamb said the state games were memorable to her, but it’s the little moments during the regular season that will likely stick with her.

“In state everything kind of seems like a blur because it goes by so fast, there’s so much happening at once,” she said. “I think some of my favorite games are ones from the middle of the season.”

Next year Lamb will attend Brigham Young University with her sister and 2003 CHS graduate Erica, and will focus on nursing.

Bagby, who is the third member of his family to receive the award, was equally thrilled to get the honor.

“It’s just a good surprise…there’s a lot of people in this school that could have got it,” he said.

The 6-foot-3 junior started on offense and defense in football, and started in basketball and baseball, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

In football, he was named first team all-league cornerback on defense and second team as a quarterback where he completed 108 passes and had six touchdown throws.

As a starting guard for the basketball team he averaged just over 20 points and six rebounds a game and was named male basketball player of the year in the Northwest A/B.

His most memorable moment of the season came in a home game against Darrington, when he hit a three pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Coupeville went on to win the game and behind that momentum make a run at the playoffs.

“That was the most memorable moment for me because our emotions were just so high and we were just having a good time out there playing — and we won,” Bagby said.

As a left-handed pitcher for the baseball team, Bagby was dominant on the mound with a .177 ERA and 42 strikeouts. Coupeville ended its season at 12-7 overall with its most wins in over a decade.

“That felt pretty good because I haven’t had a winning season,” Bagby said. “I was a little disappointed though that we didn’t make it to any playoffs — district or state.”

Bagby will return next season the likely favorite to repeat the award. That doesn’t matter to him, however.

“I’m just going to be myself and see what happens,” he said. “I’m not looking to really go out and get awards — I just want to be myself and have fun playing ball.”