Whatcom’s senior athletes set records. Vote for those who most impressed you in our poll

Spring sports athletes in Whatcom County’s Class of 2022, who were deprived of post-season play by the COVID pandemic in the previous two springs, proved resilient in spectacular style. Many seniors made the absolute most of their final high school events, despite a lack of experience under pressure.

In softball, Class 1A Nooksack Valley gave the county its first state title after more than two decades of effort in the fast-pitch game. Lynden turned in its second-best 2A state finish with fourth after an amazing six games in two days and Mount Baker set a school record for wins with fourth place at 1A state.

In boys’ soccer, Squalicum’s senior-dominated team likely set a county record for goals in a season with 102 on the way to the school’s third state championship.

In boys’ and girls’ track and field, Sehome claimed its fifth boys’ title and county athletes in all four classes claimed an astounding 21 individual championships in 66 events in 2A and 1A combined. Sehome, third-place Bellingham, fourth-place Squalicum and seventh-place Lynden enabled Whatcom County to score more 2A boys’ points than any other county.

In baseball, Lynden and Meridian qualified for the 2A and 1A state tournaments led by noteworthy all-league selections in a new 16-team, three-division Northwest Conference.

In tennis and golf, there were no girls’ and boys’ team or individual state champions, but nonetheless numerous athletes earned distinctions.

You can vote for the boy and girl Whatcom athletes who most impressed you this spring in the poll below. When you complete the first question, the second question will show.

We’ve highlighted only senior standouts in large part because of the remarkable circumstances they faced under pressure. Many of the seniors were playing in part for senior friends in the Class of 2021, who were denied a postseason by COVID-19.

SOFTBALL

Nooksack Valley (26-1) won every team honor possible under coach Tom Harmon with 26 consecutive wins after a season-opening 8-5 loss to Lynden.

Jordyn Relethford (24-1), the Northwest Conference’s Pitcher of the Year, displayed remarkable poise with a 4-3 win over Lakeside in the state 1A final, allowing three hits, walking none and striking out six. Nooksack’s statistics showed she finished with 253 strikeouts in 149 innings and contributed dozens of big hits all season.

Outfielder Jayden Loreen, Nooksack’s other senior first-team all-league selection, batted .571 and went 3 for 3 in the title game including a two-run single that drove in fellow seniors Ellie VanBerkum and Renae Hoekema. Infielder McKenzie O‘Bryan, catcher America Oettel and infielder Alyvia Mergel were the other seniors who contributed heavily to the historic state run, which also included an 8-3 win over Hoquiam and a 14-4 victory over eventual fourth-place finisher Mount Baker.

The satisfaction was especially significant for four senior Pioneers, who lost to Lynden Christian by one point for the state 1A basketball title.

For Mount Baker (23-7) — winner of its first state trophy since 2014 and coached by Ron Lepper — pitching and batting star Kaitlyn Rosenberg (15-2, over .400) and shortstop Ashlynn Cloninger (over .500) made first-team all-league. Fellow seniors Taite Reardon in the outfield and Kerianna Cronk at third base also contributed heavily to a school win record. After a 16-1 win over Klahoya at state and a 7-6 win in 13 innings over College Place followed by the loss to Nooksack, the Mountaineers stayed alive with an 8-5 win over Castle Rock before falling to Eatonville 13-6.

Lynden (21-5-1) earned its first state trophy in eight years and finished with a remarkable 16 home runs in six games at state 2A under loser-out pressure, following the Lions’ 3-1 win over Rochester and Lynden’s 5-3 walk-off loss to eventual state champion Tumwater in the second game. Ashlyn Alexander (.529) hit four homers at state and finished with school records for a season (14) and career (17) while earning Northwest Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Alivia Miller (.515, school-season record 51 hits) and pitcher Emma Ramerman (10-2, .378) also made first-team all-league and Claire DeVries (11-3, .469, school record-tying 43 runs) was second team.

Lions coach Ed Bomber noted that Samantha Garcia (.417), the team’s other senior, recovered from a severe illness to help in the late-season run including one of the team’s three consecutive homers in a 15-13 win over Eatonville, won by a two-run walk-off homer by DeVries. That moved the Lions into the third/fourth place game, a 14-4 loss to Chehalis. Earlier, the Lions stayed alive with a 7-6 win over Ridgefield and a 9-8 victory over Shadle Park.

Lynden batted .385 as a team with a .607 slugging average, 314 hits, 42 home runs and 246 runs. Ramerman and DeVries struck out 29 batters at state.

SOCCER

Squalicum (20-1-1) and its nine seniors were at their best in the Storm’s 5-0 win over Burlington-Edison in the state title game, especially considering Burlington’s 2-0 win over the Storm in the District 1 title game May 16. Squalicum beat Burlington 3-0 in an Northwest Conference game March 19.

The Storm’s state run included wins over Fife 4-0, East Valley 2-0 and Sammamish 3-2 on a goal by Jordan Voigt in overtime to cap a rally from a 2-0 deficit. Whitworth College-bound Voight finished with a team-leading 23 goals, helping the Storm finish with 102 goals.

In the title game, key goals came from Carter Weener, Ace Carr, Gurparam Singh and Trevor Keeley, who had the clincher in the 67th minute at 4-0. Singh finished with 13 goals and Keeley, Carr and Weener had 7 each. Ryan Johnson had 6 goals and a team-high 17 assists on the way to earning co-Defensive MVP with Lynden junior goalie Treyson Smiley. Johnson was a key factor in the Storm’s 14 shutouts.

Seniors Josh Durfee, Sean Ford and Jayden Miller also helped make the Storm so explosive. In the Storm’s last two games at state, eight different players scored one goal apiece in a noteworthy demonstration of Squalicum’s remarkable balance and depth.

Bellingham finished 13-5 with two senior first-team all-leaguers, goalie Henry White and defender Lorenzo Pellecchia. Sehome’s young team went 14-5 and beat Bellingham to qualify for state.

Lynden had a noteworthy senior all-leaguer in center back Kole Antypas, who had an unusually high eight goals and four assists for someone playing that position. Ferndale’s Calvin Huynh and Mount Baker’s Oliver Martin also were voted first-team all-leaguers.

BASEBALL

The only senior first-team all-leaguers were Lynden shortstop Cade Slayton and second baseman Duke Ohligschlager along with Meridian centerfielder/pitcher Bryce Johnson.

Lynden finished 19-6 and qualified for state regionals behind the bats of Slayton (.384 28 hits, 8 doubles, three homers, a team-high 27 RBIs and a 521 on-base) and Ohligschlager (.418, 28 hits, 8 doubles, three triples and one homer, plus 22 RBIs and 10 stolen bases).

“They provided outstanding senior leadership,” said Lynden coach Cory White.

Johnson led Meridian to a 14-11 record and a berth in the state regionals with .403 hitting, 18 RBIs and 15 runs and often pitched against the opposition’s best. He will play for Yakima Valley College.

“Bryce is an outstanding player and an even more outstanding person,” Meridian coach Steve Slesk said.

Ferndale, the only other Whatcom County baseball team with a winning overall record at 12-8, received a productive season from Ryan Pelton, who batted over .350.

Lynden Christian (10-11) qualified for 1A district with only one senior, inspirational outfielder Joseph VanHofwegen. Blaine (9-14) benefited from a second-team all-league season from multi-sport star Jaxon Kortlever. Bellingham’s Landon Kerzman and Squalicum’s Connor Brueske also earned second-team all-league honors.

BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Sehome claimed its fifth 2A boys’ championship by one of the widest margins in meet history, with 88 points to Aberdeen’s 51, while the Mariners scored the most points in any class. Bellingham was third with 50 and Squalicum took fourth. Add Lynden’s 27 for seventh, and Northwest Conference boys far outscored every league in the state.

Sehome’s boys and girls were both state 2A academic champions in track and field.

Sehome senior Carter Birade, one of the best hurdlers in 2A state history, ran a personal record 10.5 seconds to claim the 100 meters and finished second in the 110 hurdles at 14.28. It took a meet record 13.83 by Squalicum junior Andre Korbmacher to beat the Cal State Fullerton-bound Birade and the Storm star followed with a meet record 36.30 in the 300 hurdles.

Sehome’s other senior medalist (top eight) was shot putter John Dawson, third at 50 feet, 5 inches.

The other local senior boy to win a 2A title was Bellingham’s John Twedt, whose 45-8.75 won the triple jump after he qualified at 45-11.25 for the second-best mark in any division and only three-quarters inch short of the best. Twedt was second in the long jump at 21-8 behind a 22-2 by Lynden junior Troy Petz.

Twedt, who was in only his second season of track, had to work hard to overcome a football injury, which delayed his senior start in track.

Bellingham’s Jaden Johnson was third in the 200 with 22.53 behind Sehome junior Jacob Andrews, who won in a meet record 21.25 and also took the 400 in 48.05. Bellingham senior Jake Mcneely tied for fourth in the high jump at 5-10.

Squalicum’s Josh Bates finished his career with fifth in the 300 hurdles in a personal record 40.30. Lynden’s Luke Scarlett was fourth in the triple jump at 40-11.75. Sehome won the 4x400 relay in 3:27.76 and Squalicum claimed the 4x100 in 43.18.

The star of the boys’ 1A meet was Mount Baker senior football star Davin Beason, who won the discus at 144-3 and the shot put at 50-6.75 and finished second in the javelin at 167-5 to cap his first season of track and field. He will play football at Portland State.

The only other Whatcom County individual champion was Meridian senior Jordan Hallmark at 15.91 in the 110 hurdles. The Trojans also claimed the 4x100 relay in 43.65.

Other podium seniors were Lynden Christian’s Tristan Brink, third in the 300 hurdles at 41.22 and part of LC’s second-place 4x400 relay; Meridian’s Luke Aument, fifth in the 400 at 52.14 and part of Meridian‘s 4x100 relay champion; Nooksack Valley’s Joseph Brown, sixth in the long jump at 21-2.50; and Nooksack’s Dawson Kimball, third in the high jump at 6-0.

Ferndale’s only senior medalist in the 3A meet was Andrew Nelson, seventh in the javelin at 166-10.

Lummi commended Adam Bello for his efforts in the shot put.

Ferndale’s Mark Schlichting deserves mention with the best senior spring athletes, since he set a school record of 195 feet, 6 inches in the javelin in March, topping Ben Broselle by about four feet. But Schlichting tore an elbow ligament on his very next throw while trying to surpass 200 feet and was sidelined for the rest of the spring.

Schlichting was a solid football quarterback and basketball player and plans to try to earn a track scholarship at Washington State University, where he will major in architecture.

GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Sehome had both local 2A champions, with Dawson Rothenbuhler taking the shot at 42-4 and fellow senior Virginia Arthur winning the discus with a personal record 121-2. Rothenbuhler, one of the best in Sehome history, will attend University of Washington on a track scholarship and Arthur will compete at Pacific Lutheran.

Bellingham’s team score of 51 points finished second, followed by Sehome in third at 45 and Lynden in sixth with 31.

Lynden had two senior medalists. Emmanuelle Kroontje was fourth in the 800 at 2:26.76 and Lynden’s Sadie Furdyk was fifth in the discus with a personal record of 112-0. Bellingham’s Lily Koplowitz-Fleming and Sehome’s Hannah Brown were noted for inspirational and leadership-filled running careers.

A local star of the 1A meet was Meridian senior Kayla Aalpoel, who won the 1600 in a personal best 5:10.36 and lowered her school record in the 3,200 to 10:53.27 in a remarkable effort, only to finish second behind Seton Catholic’s Alexis Leone, who clocked 10:45.57.

Blaine senior Eleeshiyah Faulkner was the other local senior champion at 16.09 in the 100 hurdles. She finished second in the 300 hurdles at 46.69.

Mount Baker’s Trinity Anderson tied for third in the high jump; LC’s Ryleigh Schmitt tied for third in the pole vault at 8-6; and Meridian’s Jerisa Sandlund was eighth in the triple jump at 33-8.

Meridian finished sixth with 33 points to lead county 1A girls.

Lummi praised senior sprinter Nina Wilson for her contributions.

GOLF AND TENNIS

Whatcom County did not have any state team or individual champions in golf and tennis, but there was still meaningful senior participation after two years out of any postseason.

Girls’ tennis produced Lynden’s first Northwest Conference dual-match title in either the boys’ or girls’ league after coach Trey Ballard worked hard for two decades in both against the always-competitive likes of Bellingham, Sehome and Squalicum. Sisters Kalanie and Adia Newcomb, both of whom will return, earned fifth at state.

Meanwhile, Bellingham senior boys’ doubles team of Clive Iwersen and Isaac Knickrehm claimed the Northwest Conference’s only top-four finish. The boys’ regular season is played in the fall but the state tournament takes place in the spring, and Iwersen/Knickrehm team won fourth place with a 7-5,6-4 victory to finish 16-1 together. Last fall, they didn’t lose a set while winning the district 2A title.

Lynden seniors Sage Anderson and Mariah Baseden gave the girls’ team two first-team all-leaguers and provided the depth needed to take a league title.

Squalicum’s Sophia Francis earned girls’ MVP honors and teammate Dylan McCoy joined her on the all-league first team. Other seniors who won that honor were Blaine’s Emery Snow, Ferndale’s Harnoor Saran and Sehome’s Natalie Seaholm.

In golf, Lynden Christian’s all-leaguer Ty Hagen led five Lyncs at state 1A with his fourth-place finish, the best among the county’s seniors, and to third place as a team. Hagen, who won a special scholarship named for Bill Egbers, shot 72-78 for a 36-hole 150 at Spokane’s Indian Canyon Golf Course. Senior teammate Nathan VanderVelden finished 33rd at state and helped the Lyncs win 1A district with a fifth place finish.

Sehome senior Lucy Hodson had personal records of 91 and 79 to finish at 170 for 14th at state girls’ 2A at Tumwater Valley. Lynden senior Jordan Medcalf, who won the 2A district boys’ title, finished 19th at state with 155 after younger brother Logan took a highly promising sixth at 145 at state to lead the Lions to seventh among 16 2A teams.

Ferndale’s best score in the boys’ 3A state tournament was a 71-70-141 for fourth by junior Baylor Larrabee at Liberty Lake, but Max Nordstrom led four seniors at 78-80 for 42nd.

Lummi recognized Dominic Whiteman as the senior who helped start the school’s 1B golf program and played well enough to be a state alternate.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.