All-American honors, league championships and state tournament berths were among the many highlights registered by Central Whidbey athletes in 2015.
January
The Coupeville High School girls basketball team limited Chimacum to two first-half free throws for a 25-2 lead on the way to a 46-22 win Jan. 27.
Three days later, the Wolves, coached by David and Amy King, clinched their first conference championship in 13 years with a 51-32 win over Klahowya.
The Wolves’ Makana Stone was named the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 1A female Athlete of the Week for Jan. 26-31.
Stone averaged 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, three assists and one block and hit 19 of 28 shots (68 percent) in two games.
February
In a game where a loss would eliminate it from playoff contention, the Coupeville boys basketball team, coached by Anthony Smith, came from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to win 60-57 at Port Townsend Feb. 3.
The Wolves went on to upset first-place Chimacum 72-68 in over time Feb. 6 to clinch a postseason berth. Wiley Hesselgrave scored Coupeville’s final eight points in regulation to send the game to OT, then hit the Wovles’ final two points to ice the win.
The Coupeville girls basketball team completed an undefeated conference season when it beat Klahowya 53-36 Feb. 9.
Coupeville grad Cole Weistein earned all-league honors in in three events for the Whitman College swim team Feb. 15.
March
Coupeville’s Stone, who averaged 17 points per game, was named the Olympic League Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-conference first team by Julia Myers and Madeline Strasburg. David King received Coach of the Year honors, and the Wolves received the league’s Sportsmanship Award.
Hesselgrave was an all-Olympic League, first-team choice for the boys.
April
Coupeville soccer player Abraham Leyva Elenes scored four goals and handed out four assists in the Wolves’ 11-1 pasting of Chimacum April 16.
May
Coupeville all-Olympic League first team choices in spring sports where baseball players Aaron Curtin, Josh Bayne, C.J. Smith and Cole Payne; softball players Hailey Hammer, McKayla Bailey, Katrina McGranahan and Lauren Rose; soccer players Tanner Kircher, Leyva Elenes and William Nelson; tennis player Jacki Ginnings; and track members Stone, Lauren Grove, Skyler Lawrence, Lauren Bayne, Sylvia Hurlburt, Dalton Martin and Marisa Etzell.
Hammer also earned her 12th varsity letter, lettering all four years in volleyball, basketball and softball.
The Coupeville girls tennis team, coached by Ken Stange, wrapped up the Olympic League championship with a 6-1 win over Chimacum May 7. The Wolves also won the league 1A tournament May 12 with Ginnings and Valen Trujillo placing first and second in singles.
Curtin was second in the boys district singles tournament May 20 and went on to place eighth at state.
Stone (400 meters) and Martin (discus) took first place in the Olympic League championship track meet May 9. At the state meet May 30, Stone was fourth in the 400 and Martin fifth in the discus. Stone, Etzell, Hurlburt and Grove placed third in the 4×200 relay in a school record 1:46.64.
Coupeville’s Christina Fields took the Olympic League girls golfing crown May 12, the district title May 19 and then placed sixth at the state 1A tournament May 28. Field recording three top-10 finished in four trips to state during her high school career. Her fifth place as a junior is the best in CHS history.
Coupeville graduate Hunter Hammer earned All-American honors for Trinity Lutheran College (Everett) by placing third in the shot put in the National Christian College Athletic Association track championships in May. Hammer’s throw of 47-11 was a personal best and school record. Hammer also owns the Trinity discus (152-05) and hammer throw (155-06) school records.
In addition to placing third in the shot put, he finished fifth in the hammer (150-05) and 13th in the discus (132-07) at the NCCAA championships. That performance helped Hammer win the Student-Athlete of the Year Award at Trinity Lutheran.
Coupeville’s 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 first-place trophy.
June
Coupeville High School athletes Myers and Aaron Trumbull received the OlympicLeague.com Scholar-Athlete Awards for 2014-15.
Josh Bayne, Curtin and Stone were honored as Coupeville High School’s Athletes of the Year.
Coupeville baseball coach Willie Smith resigned after 19 years of leading the Wolves.
July
Central Whidbey Little League’s 9/10 softball team, coached by Mimi Johnson, qualified for the state tournament.
August
Jon Crimmins, who placed eighth, was the top Coupeville finisher in the half marathon at the Fifth Annual Race the Reserve Aug. 1.
October
The Coupeville High School boys tennis team, coached by Stange, clinched the Olympic League championship with a win over Chimacum/Port Townsend Oct. 14. At the league singles tournament Oct. 24, Sebastian Davis and Connor McCormick finished first and second.
November
Coupeville High School first-team, all-leaguers in fall sports were football players Hesselgrave, C.J. Smith, Brendan Gilbert, Hunter Smith and Clay Reilly; soccer players Jennifer Spark, Mia Littlejohn and Kalia Littlejohn; and volleyball players Trujillo, Sydney Autio and McGranahan.
Trujillo, a junior, set a school single-season digs record with 157 and a CHS career record 356.
The Wolves also set a single season record for team service aces.
Coupeville grad Tyler King finished fifth and helped the University of Washington men’s cross country team win its first-ever title in the Division I Western Regional Nov. 13.
December
Stone was selected as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 1A female Player of the Week for Dec. 7-12. In three games, Stone averaged 23 points, 15 rebounds, four steals, two assists and one block per game.
