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Athletes ready for fall season

September 8, 2009

By Christopher Huber

By Christopher Huber
Girls soccer
The Skyline High School girls soccer squad is coming off its most successful season in recent memory.
It won the 2008 state 4A championship last fall, beating Woodinville 2-0 and finishing the season with a 15-2-2 overall record.
However, the Lady Spartans are reloading this year and gearing up to face an ever-competitive KingCo league.
Head coach Don Braman has plenty of returning talent to work with in 2009.
Only losing a few seniors from last year’s roster, Skyline brings back Emily Anderson, Shea O’Donnell, Coral Anderson, Michelle Bretl, Madi Barney, Anna Morgan, Alisha Connors, Maddie Christ, Brittanee Randle, star goalie Jill Stika, Meighan Hawks, Kayle Shim and Tina Vargas.
Newcomers Nicole Candioglos, Jackie Wilson, Dominique Randle and Alexa Strom will work to make their mark on a team that is ranked No. 24 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Once again, the games to watch in 2009 will be when Skyline hosts Issaquah at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8. Another much- anticipated game will be Eastlake at Skyline at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24.
Don’t forget to check out the 2008 state rematch when Skyline faces Woodinville at Skyline stadium 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13.
Skyline travels to Oregon with Eastlake and Issaquah high schools Sept. 18-19 to play Westview and Lincoln high schools.
Lincoln came out of the 2008 season ranked No. 3 nationally.
Boys tennis
As the new season begins, the local tennis teams are gearing up for a new meet format. In 2009, players may only compete in one category, singles or doubles, during each individual meet, said Skyline head tennis coach Bettina Gehle.
In 2008, a school chose its top eight players to compete per match. In 2009, they will get to choose 10.
The Skyline boys come off a 10-5 season from a year ago and look to seniors Tyler VanGrunsven and Jesse Park to lead the pack to a KingCo title.
Sophomore Max Kerwien and newcomers Brayden Hansen, Larry Liao and Aman Manji round out the top six starters on the court.
The matches to watch in 2009 will be Skyline at Inglemoor at 3:30 p.m., Sept 10, Issaquah at Skyline at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 22 and Eastlake at Skyline at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 29.
Girls swim and dive
The Eastlake girls come off a successful season in 2008. It placed 12th at the state championships and produced a state champ in then-freshman Katie Kinnear who won the 100-yard butterfly.
Despite losing 16 seniors (including two state qualifiers) for the up coming 2009 season, head coach Andy Hay said, “I am convinced that we can still be a better team this year.”
A highlight of the off-season for Eastlake was the formation of the non-profit Marin Morrison Foundation, in memory of the late Eastlake standout swimmer.
Kinnear is back as a sophomore this season and after competing at the U.S. Open this summer, seems ready for a run at another state title.
Mikaela Willi and Makenzie Rands will lead as captains. Kara Beauchamp and Becca Fabian return to give Eastlake a point-scoring boost in the pool, too.
Meets to watch in 2009 are Eastlake at Issaquah (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 24, Eastlake at Skyline (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and Redmond at Eastlake (Redmond Pool) at 12 p.m. Sept. 26.
Three of Skyline’s top swimmers are coming off of a busy, but relatively successful, summer club season.
Senior Andie Taylor will defend her state title in the 200-yard individual medley and looks to experienced teammates Nina Zook and Meghan O’Keefe to lead the Lady Spartans in an even stronger run in 2009.
Skyline finished seventh in the state as a team in 2008, and even though it lost a dozen seniors to graduation, head coach Susan Simpkins said the 78-girl roster is full of depth and experience.
That will come in handy against top teams like Newport, Issaquah and Redmond.
Maria Volodevich, Andi Scarcello and Sarah Elderkin, all freshmen, will start for Skyline this year, Simpkins said.
The Newport meet at 3:30 p.m. Oct.1 will be the meet of the season for Skyline, Simpkins said, but be sure to check out Skyline at Redmond (Redmond Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Eastlake at Skyline (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and Issaquah at Skyline (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 8.
Cross country
Of course, the Eastlake girls are going to try to win it all again in 2009. The team, which is coming off a 2008 state championship win, second-place regional and 21st place national finish, lost just two starters to graduation.
They return key scorers in seniors Chelsea Orr and Erin Blodnick, as well as Megan Batty, Katelyn Steen, Maddie Starnes and Haley O’Connor.
Head coach Troy Anderson said newcomers Morgan O’Connor, Emily Dwyer and Emily Robinson all trained exceptionally hard over the summer to prepare for the tough KingCo 4A competition in Redmond, Issaquah and Bothell.
The Lady Wolves hope to hold their spot as the No. 1 ranked team in the state, but will face difficulty in the post season against powerhouses Stanwood and Gig Harbor, Anderson said.
The Eastlake boys are looking to rebuild after going 3-3 in the league last year.
Despite losing three starting runners to graduation, Eastlake brings back five key starters in seniors Paul Kupcis, Beau Wales, Brandon Cole, Stephen Ellis and junior Cole Glover.
Seniors Curtis McCarson, Zach Roberts and Brendan Daly are new to the starting corps in 2009, but know the team well and show promise as point-scoring contenders, Anderson said.
The boys of Skyline ran well in 2008 — they went 10-0, won KingCo 4A and placed fifth in state 4A competition.
The team lost standout Simon Sorensen, as well as Travis Lund and Jeff Lestz, to graduation and hope to stay strong in 2009 with numerous experienced returners.
Captains Ben Ressler and Mark Frerker will lead the pack for the Spartans, but they won’t be alone, as Kyle Branch, Evan Botsch, Jay Bowlby, Brandon Clark and newcomer Keegan Symmes should provide needed support against competitors like Redmond and Issaquah.
The Skyline girls look to develop some depth from their newcomers as they try to improve on last year’s 6-4 league record.
Captains Melissa Krieg and Heather Copenhaver will rely on teammates Haley Hunter, Yina Moe Lange and Lindsey Nicholson to earn points against the dominant Redmond girls.
Meets to watch in 2009 for the boys and girls teams are Skyline at Redmond at 4 p.m. Sept. 16 at Hartman Park and Skyline against Newport, Eastlake and Issaquah at 4 p.m. Oct. 7 at Beaver Lake Park.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

Girls soccer

The Skyline High School girls soccer squad is coming off its most successful season in recent memory.

It won the 2008 state 4A championship last fall, beating Woodinville 2-0 and finishing the season with a 15-2-2 overall record.

However, the Lady Spartans are reloading this year and gearing up to face an ever-competitive KingCo league.

Head coach Don Braman has plenty of returning talent to work with in 2009.

Only losing a few seniors from last year’s roster, Skyline brings back Emily Anderson, Shea O’Donnell, Coral Anderson, Michelle Bretl, Madi Barney, Anna Morgan, Alisha Connors, Maddie Christ, Brittanee Randle, star goalie Jill Stika, Meighan Hawks, Kayle Shim and Tina Vargas.

Newcomers Nicole Candioglos, Jackie Wilson, Dominique Randle and Alexa Strom will work to make their mark on a team that is ranked No. 24 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Once again, the games to watch in 2009 will be when Skyline hosts Issaquah at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8. Another much- anticipated game will be Eastlake at Skyline at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24.

Don’t forget to check out the 2008 state rematch when Skyline faces Woodinville at Skyline stadium 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13.

Skyline travels to Oregon with Eastlake and Issaquah high schools Sept. 18-19 to play Westview and Lincoln high schools.

Lincoln came out of the 2008 season ranked No. 3 nationally.

Boys tennis

As the new season begins, the local tennis teams are gearing up for a new meet format. In 2009, players may only compete in one category, singles or doubles, during each individual meet, said Skyline head tennis coach Bettina Gehle.

In 2008, a school chose its top eight players to compete per match. In 2009, they will get to choose 10.

The Skyline boys come off a 10-5 season from a year ago and look to seniors Tyler VanGrunsven and Jesse Park to lead the pack to a KingCo title.

Sophomore Max Kerwien and newcomers Brayden Hansen, Larry Liao and Aman Manji round out the top six starters on the court.

The matches to watch in 2009 will be Skyline at Inglemoor at 3:30 p.m., Sept 10, Issaquah at Skyline at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 22 and Eastlake at Skyline at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 29.

Girls swim and dive

The Eastlake girls come off a successful season in 2008. It placed 12th at the state championships and produced a state champ in then-freshman Katie Kinnear who won the 100-yard butterfly.

Despite losing 16 seniors (including two state qualifiers) for the up coming 2009 season, head coach Andy Hay said, “I am convinced that we can still be a better team this year.”

A highlight of the off-season for Eastlake was the formation of the non-profit Marin Morrison Foundation, in memory of the late Eastlake standout swimmer.

Kinnear is back as a sophomore this season and after competing at the U.S. Open this summer, seems ready for a run at another state title.

Mikaela Willi and Makenzie Rands will lead as captains. Kara Beauchamp and Becca Fabian return to give Eastlake a point-scoring boost in the pool, too.

Meets to watch in 2009 are Eastlake at Issaquah (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 24, Eastlake at Skyline (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and Redmond at Eastlake (Redmond Pool) at 12 p.m. Sept. 26.

Three of Skyline’s top swimmers are coming off of a busy, but relatively successful, summer club season.

Senior Andie Taylor will defend her state title in the 200-yard individual medley and looks to experienced teammates Nina Zook and Meghan O’Keefe to lead the Lady Spartans in an even stronger run in 2009.

Skyline finished seventh in the state as a team in 2008, and even though it lost a dozen seniors to graduation, head coach Susan Simpkins said the 78-girl roster is full of depth and experience.

That will come in handy against top teams like Newport, Issaquah and Redmond.

Maria Volodevich, Andi Scarcello and Sarah Elderkin, all freshmen, will start for Skyline this year, Simpkins said.

The Newport meet at 3:30 p.m. Oct.1 will be the meet of the season for Skyline, Simpkins said, but be sure to check out Skyline at Redmond (Redmond Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Eastlake at Skyline (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and Issaquah at Skyline (Boehm Pool) at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 8.

Cross country

Of course, the Eastlake girls are going to try to win it all again in 2009. The team, which is coming off a 2008 state championship win, second-place regional and 21st place national finish, lost just two starters to graduation.

They return key scorers in seniors Chelsea Orr and Erin Blodnick, as well as Megan Batty, Katelyn Steen, Maddie Starnes and Haley O’Connor.

Head coach Troy Anderson said newcomers Morgan O’Connor, Emily Dwyer and Emily Robinson all trained exceptionally hard over the summer to prepare for the tough KingCo 4A competition in Redmond, Issaquah and Bothell.

The Lady Wolves hope to hold their spot as the No. 1 ranked team in the state, but will face difficulty in the post season against powerhouses Stanwood and Gig Harbor, Anderson said.

The Eastlake boys are looking to rebuild after going 3-3 in the league last year.

Despite losing three starting runners to graduation, Eastlake brings back five key starters in seniors Paul Kupcis, Beau Wales, Brandon Cole, Stephen Ellis and junior Cole Glover.

Seniors Curtis McCarson, Zach Roberts and Brendan Daly are new to the starting corps in 2009, but know the team well and show promise as point-scoring contenders, Anderson said.

The boys of Skyline ran well in 2008 — they went 10-0, won KingCo 4A and placed fifth in state 4A competition.

The team lost standout Simon Sorensen, as well as Travis Lund and Jeff Lestz, to graduation and hope to stay strong in 2009 with numerous experienced returners.

Captains Ben Ressler and Mark Frerker will lead the pack for the Spartans, but they won’t be alone, as Kyle Branch, Evan Botsch, Jay Bowlby, Brandon Clark and newcomer Keegan Symmes should provide needed support against competitors like Redmond and Issaquah.

The Skyline girls look to develop some depth from their newcomers as they try to improve on last year’s 6-4 league record.

Captains Melissa Krieg and Heather Copenhaver will rely on teammates Haley Hunter, Yina Moe Lange and Lindsey Nicholson to earn points against the dominant Redmond girls.

Meets to watch in 2009 for the boys and girls teams are Skyline at Redmond at 4 p.m. Sept. 16 at Hartman Park and Skyline against Newport, Eastlake and Issaquah at 4 p.m. Oct. 7 at Beaver Lake Park.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

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Written by Christopher Huber · Filed Under Sports 

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