Thirty Oak Harbor High School athletes earned Western Conference honors this fall.
Nine Wildcats were first-team selections.
Leading the way were Oak Harbor senior swimmers Jillian Pape and Olivia Tungate and freshman Ashleigh Merrill; each received first-team honors in four events.
Pape was first team in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, Tungate in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke and Merrill in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle.
They joined senior Taliah Black on the first-team 200-medley relay and 200-freestyle relay squads.
Pape was also first team in the 50 free in 2016, as was Tungate in her two individual events. Pape, Tungate and Black were on the first-team relay teams last fall as well.
Junior cross country runner Alexis Smith picked up her third consecutive first-team selection this season, and Megan Smith, Alexis’ sophomore sister, was a second-team choice.
For the boys, senior Ben Gasper and sophomore Dallas Riddle-Stevens were named to the second team.
In football, senior outside linebacker Kyle Nickols and junior defensive back Dorian Hardin were first-team choices on defense. Senior center Weston Whitefoot was a first-team selection on offense.
Senior Mac Nuanez earned second-team honors on both offense (running back) and defense (lineman). Other second-team selections were senior TJ Hollins-Passmore (defensive back), junior Aaron Martinez (inside linebacker), senior Isaac Gomez (inside linebacker) and senior Andrew Miller (punter).
Seniors Jordan Bell, Hunter Bos, Mac Carr, Taeson Hardin and Ozell Jackson were honorable mention.
Last year, Nuanez, Hollins-Passmore and Dorian Hardin received second-team honors.
Taeson Hardin, Jackson, Whitefoot and Carr were honorable mention in 2016.
Senior opposite Hailee Blau was a repeat first-team choice in volleyball and was named to the Everett Herald’s All-Area team. She was honorable mention as a sophomore.
Senior setter Andrea Rubin was honorable mention for the second straight year, and juniors Cami Bristow (outside hitter) and Ceirra Dean (libero) were honorable mention this fall.
Senior forward Caylie Etherington and sophomore defender Gracie Hiteshaw were named to the Wesco soccer second team. Etherington was a first-teamer in 2016.
Earning honorable mention were defenders senior Peyton Rhyne and junior Jessica Vester.
Jillian Pape, center, and Olivia Tungate, right, earned first-team, all-league honors in four events this fall. Taliah Black, left, and Ashleigh Merrill joined the pair on the first-team 200-medley and 200-freestyle relay squads. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)
