Prep Sports Report: Meridian’s Terpstra hits lofty bowling milestone; league honors revealed
LAUREL — Meridian senior Audrey Terpstra was thrilled when her bowling coach, a self-described “numbers nerd,” recently told her that her 11,440 pins knocked down the school career record.
Even so, Terpstra — the first Meridian bowler to surpass 11,000 pins — says she will be much more gratified if coach Gregg Hill’s Trojans roll well enough to win a first league title or a state 1A/2A championship.
“Titles represent the most important numbers,” said Terpstra, in total agreement with junior standout Dakota Hill, one of the four daughters of Greg and Allison Hill.
“I would gladly trade an individual scoring record for a championship,” said Dakota Hill, who may well be in position next season to reclaim the record for her family. Terpstra broke the mark set two years ago by Emma Hill, who now bowls for Ottawa University in Surprise, Ariz.
No matter how many thousands of pins fall this season, the Trojans figure to have a Northwest Conference challenge from Ferndale (2-1) and the Bellingham District Co-Op team (2-2), with bowlers from Squalicum, Sehome and Bellingham.
In a close match Nov. 20, unbeaten Bellingham beat Meridian 1,555 to 1,489 as Diva Marsh scored a two-game 346 to take top game honors, with Hill second at 334. Marsh’s 237-474 are the highest marks of the season to date.
Nevertheless, Meridian’s girls are excited about their school record-setting start, achieved Nov. 22 with a 1,832 score against Jackson of Everett’s 746.
“That broke the old record for total pin count of 1,715,” said Gregg Hill, whose team of Terpstra, Dakota Hill, Natalie Nunez, Lauren Lipton and Claire Hinkleman also scored a record 1,506 with the five girls in a combined 10 games, plus marks of 184 and a two-game 346.
Terpstra and Hill started bowling as freshmen, with Terpstra inspired by Meridian’s first two bowling teams and Dakota Hill enthused over the success of older sister Emma. Dakota also helps 16-year-old sister Samantha, who bowls on the JV team as one of Meridian’s 16 bowlers.
Girls bowling began as a way of adding more sports opportunities for girls on the participating teams, which include Ferndale and Blaine in addition to the Bellingham District Co-Op and Meridian. Since there is no girls sport with a possible 100 or more slots like football, girls have sports in some schools that boys don’t have locally, including volleyball and gymnastics.
Terpstra and Dakota Hill both giggled when asked why they became so good so fast.
“I guess I’m a natural,” they both acknowledged in a humble way.
Terpstra said a title “would tell people that bowling is a serious sport at Meridian,” she said with a grin. “It meant a lot to me that I was voted captain.”
Dakota’s career best match is 247, which she rolled as a freshman. She would love to improve on that score, but she’s even more interested in helping teammates succeed.
“There was a little bit of luck involved in that score,” the second best at Meridian, she said.
In her first two years at Meridian, she also played softball as a starter on the left side of both the infield and outfield.
Terpstra plans to attend Laramie County Community College in Wyoming in order to qualify as an ultrasound technician in the medical field.
Gregg Hill just grins when asked how he had attracted 16 bowlers to his team this season, his fourth as head coach after one year as an assistant coach.
“When I first became head coach, I told the girls they could eat at practice,” he said, well aware that home course Mount Baker Lanes in Ferndale serves food.
Hill recalled bowling a bit as a youth, but his only real “coaching” experience at birthday parties and with youth groups. He’s accustomed to working with young people in a community transition program.
“It’s a relatively new program. We help young people to look forward to finding a path to a career,” said Hill, who works with youngsters at five schools.
Meridian faces a major challenge at Mount Baker Lane against Mount Vernon (5-0) on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
Ferndale scored its second victory by beating Burlington-Edison 1,354 to 1,157.
NWC standings through Dec. 1: Mount Vernon 5-0, Meridian 3-1, Everett 3-1, Ferndale 2-1, Bellingham District Co-Op 2-2, Anacortes 2-2, Jackson 1-2, Burlington-Edison 1-3, Blaine 0-3, Cascade 0-4.
Girls Soccer
All-NWC honors
- Defensive MVP — Triya Mitchell, Sehome, Sr.
- Offensive MVP — Addison Boyer, Oak Harbor, Sr.
- Coach of the Year — Clark Bourgault, Lynden
First Team
Goalkeeper
- Kira MacKay, Burlington, Sr.
Defenders
- Ruby Jane Brown, Bellingham, Sr.
- Ava Dungan, Burlington, Se.
- Lucy Plenkovich, Lynden, Jr.
- Janelle Fuentes, Mount Vernon, Sr.
Midfielders
- Keira Reeves, Sehome, Jr.
- Jayda Villars, Lynden, Sr.
- Maddie Mays, Oak Harbor, Sr.
- Jordan Zaharris, Anacortes, Jr.
- Gracie Gouran, Bellingham, Sr.
Forwards
- Evelyn Saldivar, Lynden
- Mailee Hilburn, Anacortes, Soph.
- Ivy Newell, Bellingham, Sr.
- Kiersten Hendrickson, Sedro-Woolley, Sr.
Second Team
Goalkeeper
- Jaiden O’Neill, Ferndale, Sr.
Defenders
- Maliah Mitchell, Lynden, Sr.
- Kira Carlson, Bellingham, Sr.
- Kasey O’Neill, Ferndale, Soph.
- Jayde Linson, Oak Harbor, Sr.
Midfielders
- Ella Morrow, Bellingham, Sr.
- Lily Atkins, Burlington, Sr.
- Kayla Yun, Lynden Christian, Jr.
- Alayna Dykstra, Nooksack, Sr.
- Nora Chennault, Mount Vernon, Sr.
Forwards
- Beckett Ferry, Bellingham, Jr.
- Alyah Vega, Burlington, Fr.
- Siri Hoglin, Squalicum, Fr.
- Tyla Olson, Mount Baker, Sr.
Girls Swimming
All-NWC honors
- Swimmer of the Year — Grace Sorensen, Bellingham, Jr.
- Coach of the Year — Lauren Heath, Sehome
- 200 medley relay — Bellingham, (Addy Hayes, Peyton Acord, Grace Sorensen, June Wilson)
- 200 free — Hailey Ferrell, Blaine
- 50 free — Jasmine Garcia, Bellingham
- Diving — Laura Webb, Sehome
- 100 fly — Grace Sorensen, Bellingham
- 100 free — Jasmine Garcia, Bellingham
- 500 free — Hailey Ferrell, Blaine
- 200 free relay — Bellingham (Jasmine Garcia, June Wilson, Addy Hayes, Annika Holland)
- 100 back — Alli Claridge, Anacortes
- 100 breast — Peyton Acord, Bellingham
- 400 free relay — Bellingham (Jasmine Garcia, Peyton Acord, Grace Sorensen, Annika Holland)
Cross Country
All-NWC Boys
Coach of the Year — Kevin Ryan, Sehome Boys & Girls
First Team
- MVP — Dylan Rowell, Anacortes
- Nick Gargano, Sehome
- Skyler Gillham, Sehome
- Baynes Machinski, Bellingham
- Aiden Miller, Anacortes
- Berkeley Pass, Bellingham
- Nicholas Luce, Lynden Christian
- Sebastien Vahid, Sehome
- Heath Terry, Sehome
- Judson Berreth, Sehome
- Reuben TeVelde, Meridian
- Jackson Rogers, Sehome
- Dylan Hill, Sehome
Second Team
- Nicholas Hoyer, Mount Vernon
- Taylor Rush, Squalicum
- Nolan Jacoby, Meridian
- Aiden Batt, Sehome
- Porter Cheesbrough, Bellingham
- Maverick Ball, Anacortes
- Jonathon Piper, Squalicum
- Ty Hoffman, Sehoime
- Jack Beglin, Bellingham
- Carter McGaffic, Sehome
- Landon Stallings, Burlington
- Campbell Phillips, Sehome
- Asher Todd, Meridian
All-NWC Girls
- MVP — Lil Desler, Sehome
- Sloan Dickson, Lynden
- Logan Ignacio, Meridian
- Sloan Clines, Sehome
- Zaya Smith, Bellingham
- Cate Griggs, Anacortes
- Sydney Harri, Sehome
- Leila Stampanon, Mount Vernon
- Samantha Knipp, Sehome
- Ashley Becerra Guzman, Anacortes
- Kjirsten Ludeman, Sehome
- Lucy Lemrick, Anacortes
- Megan Kennedy, Anacortes
Second Team
- Sandra Voigt, Squalicum
- Abby Rusk, Sehome
- Riley Boxx, Anacortes
- Nora Seltz, Bellingham
- Alivia Hernandex, Bellingham
- Nora Alexander, Bellingham
- Jocelyn Serrano, Burlington
- Mary Boger. Anacortes
- Katie Manley, Ferndale
- Adele Wood, Oak Harbor
- Chloe Hernandex, Anacortes
- Elise Holland, Bellingham
Football
All-Wesco 3A North
- Coach of Year — Marcus Hughes, Oak Harbor
- Assistant Coach of Year — Joe Roth, Stanwood
- C Team — Carlos Pineda, Marysville-Getchell
Ferndale players
First Team
- RB — Talan Bungard, Sr.
- TE — Lincoln Thomas, Sr.
- OL — Kulshan LaValley, Jr.
- K — Thomas
- DL — Bungard
- LB — Jacob Gandy, Sr.
Second Team
- OL — Wyatt Straight, Sr.
- DL — Straight
State Playoffs
Class 4A
- Sumner 37, Chiawana 31
- Camas 28, Gonzaga Prep 20
Class 3A
- O’Dea 17, Eastside Catholic 14
- Bellevue 29, Roosevelt 13
Class 2A
- Tumwater 42, Archbishop Murphy 0
- Anacortes 35, W.F. West 13
Class 1A
- Royal 44, Cashmere 7
- Seton Catholic 35, Montesano 14
Class 2B
- Napavine 23, Asotin 8
- Okanogan 36, Freeman 26
Class 1B
- Wilbur/Creston/Keller 52, Naselle 28
- Liberty Christian (Richmond) 36, Almira/Coulee’Hartline 28
Championship Games
All at Husky Stadium
Friday
- 1B — Wlbur/Crestline/Keller vs. Liberty Christian, 11 a.m.
- 1A— Royal vs. Seton Catholic, 3 p.m.
- 3A — O’Dea vs. Bellevue, 7 p.m.
Saturday
- 2B — Napavine vs. Okanogan, 11 a.m.
- 2A — Tumwater vs. Anacortes, 3 p.m.
- 4A — Camas vs. Sumner, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Prep Sports Report: Meridian’s Terpstra hits lofty bowling milestone; league honors revealed."
