Whidbey athletes shine in 2019 / Sports year in review

There were highlights aplenty in the world of 2019 Whidbey sports.

January

The Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association selected Oak Harbor High School senior setter Leah Quidachay to play in the All-State Volleyball Series.

February

The Coupeville High School cheer team, coached by BreAnna Boone, placed third in the 1A game day small division at the state tournament. Oak Harbor, coached by Jazmin Jones, took fourth in the 3A/4A non-tumbling small division.

Wildcat Battalion, with a strong showing in the final divisional meet Feb. 23 in Oak Harbor, wrapped up its eighth consecutive Olympic Division championship.

Two of Oak Harbor’s shooters — Lauren Cross-ley and James Hart — received invitations to the National Junior Olympic Championships.

Coupeville’s husband-and-wife coaching team of David and Amy King retired after 30 years of coaching at multiple levels.

March

Oak Harbor High School head football coach Jay Turner stepped down after 11 years.

Coupeville’s Makana Stone, a junior basketball player at Whitman College, earned first-team, all-Northwest Conference honors.

James Ehlert and Ross Ramsdell each rolled perfect games at the fourth annual Whidbey Island United States Bowling Congress Tournament March 2 and 3 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Convergence Zone.

Whidbey athletes representing Oak Harbor’s Rise Academy of Arts and Mount Vernon’s Ground Zero Gymnastics collected 20 gold medals at the Washington State Trampoline and Tumbling Championships March 30 at Summit Gymnastics in Maple Valley.

April

Oak Harbor’s Willy Mendoza, running in the Whidbey Island Marathon April 14, completed his 100th 26.2-mile race.

May

The Coupeville softball team, coached by Kevin McGranahan, defeated Deer Park 14-2 for its first state tournament win in 17 years.

Coupeville’s Danny Conlisk, coached by Randy King, set new school track records while winning the 200 (21.99) and 400 meters (49.14) at the state meet. He also finished second in the 100 (11.25) after earlier in the season setting a school record in the event (11.04).

Coupeville’s Mallory Kortuem set a school record while finishing second in the state 400 (58.02).

Lindsey Roberts earned three track medals at state for a career total of eight, the most ever by a Coupeville female athlete. She has the school 100 hurdle record (15.21) and placed third in the event at state in 2019.

She was also fifth at state in the 4×100 relay with Kortuem, Maya Toomey-Stout and Ja’Tarya Hoskins in a school record 50.54.

Oak Harbor’s Lucas Horrobin won his fourth Whidbey Golf Club Men’s Invitational in five years May 25 and 26.

Oak Harbor’s Katie Houck, competing for the Sedro-Woolley equestrian team, won a state title in breakaway roping.

June

Roberts and Sean Toomey-Stout were named Coupeville High School’s athletes of the year; Cami Bristow and Dorian Hardin received the honor in Oak Harbor.

Oak Harbor’s Dave Steckman finished second in the San Juan 24 North American Sailing Championships.

July

Jenny Cisney captured first place in combat sparring and was third in traditional sparring at the American Taekwondo Association World Championships July 8-14 in Little Rock, Ark.

Whidbey Island’s Sherry Phay finished second at the United States Powerlifting Association Drug Tested National Tournament July 11-14 in Las Vegas and set a state record in the bench press (72.5/80/85kg) in her division (Masters 45-49, 90kg).

Oak Harbor grad Dejon Devroe, running the 800 meters for Mississippi State University, earned second-team, all-American honors in track.

October

The Coupeville High School girls soccer team, coached by Kyle Nelson, won its first-ever postseason match, blanking Mount Baker 4-0 Oct. 26.

November

Missy McIntyre, the most decorated swimmer in Oak Harbor High School history, was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame Nov. 16.

The Sabertooth Shooting Squad precision and sporter teams, coached by Dave Goodman, finished first in the Washington State Civilian Marksmanship Program Three Position Air Rifle Championships Nov. 16. Crossley was the individual precision champion, while Rylan Quiros topped the sporter division.

Coupeville graduate Nick Streubel, a football player at Central Washington University, was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Year and earned first-team, all-league honors for the third time.

Oak Harbor’s Kayleigh Harper, who played volleyball for Western Washington University, was the GNAC’s Player of the Year and was named to the first-team, all-conference team for the fourth time. She also set a school and conference record for career blocks.

Tishia Malone placed third in her division (women 55-59) at the 19th annual Scottish Masters Athletics Heavy Events World Championships in Tucson, Arizona.

December

Three members of Oak Harbor’s Wakizashi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu studio — Jules VonDoom (190-pound blue belt), Steven McMahon (super-heavyweight purple belt) and Miles Lewis (180-pound blue belt) — earned gold medals at the North American Grappling Association’s World Championships Dec. 7 and 8 in Duncanville, Texas.