Welcome to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports.
On the high school scene, the Chugiak girls track and field team continued its strong start to the 2023 season, and the best basketball players in the 2023 class from across the state faced off. On the rink, the Anchorage Wolverines split a weekend road series to head into the offseason on a positive note. On the college scene, the University of Alaska Fairbanks signed its men’s hockey coach to an extension coming off a sensational season while several local products shined bright on national stages.
Headlines and highlights
The best of the best from the 2023 graduating class faced off on the hardwood during the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches’ annual senior all-star game on Saturday. The event featured a skills contest and even pitted former teammates against each other as the Last Frontier’s elite showcased their skills for the final time.
In the girls 3A/4A game, Anchorage Christian School standouts Sayvia Sellers and Chloe Auble finished with 36 points apiece as Sellers’ Gold team beat Auble’s Blue squad 90-83. The 3A/4A boys game went down to the wire and saw both teams light up the scoreboard and eclipse 100 points but it was Bettye Davis East multisport standout Deshawn Rushmeyer who secured the 103-101 victory for the Blue team when he hit a clutch put-back layup as time expired. Dimond’s Luke Johnston recorded a game-high 26 points for the Gold team.
The 1A/2A girls game was the lowest scoring of the day and saw the Blue team emerge victorious 42-37. After coming in second in the dunk contest, Ninilchik’s Jaylin Scott led the Blue team to a 96-73 triumph with a game-high 23 points in the 1A/2A boys game.
The eight track and field teams from the Anchorage School District faced off over the weekend in a pair of quad meets. The Chugiak boys and girls teams finished first in the team scores on Friday and the girls recorded the widest margin of victory of any team by finishing with 185 to South’s 125. On Saturday, the Dimond girls cruised to first place with 165 to Bettye Davis East’s 124 while the Bartlett boys edged East for the top spot with 150.7 to the Thunderbirds’ 144.
On the soccer scene, both Dimond and South girls teams remain undefeated after notching shutout victories. The Colony boys are also still undefeated after producing two more wins that included a 2-0 shutout of reigning Division I champion South.
In college track and field action, University of Alaska Anchorage junior distance runner Michael Zapherson recorded the eighth-best mark in the 10K when he ran a personal-best time of 30:09.56 to finish 28th in the 10,000 at the Bryan Clay Invite in Azusa, California, this past Saturday.
After guiding the University of Alaska Fairbanks men’s ice hockey team to one of its best seasons in more than two decades, head coach Erik Largen agreed to a new five-year extension that locks him up through 2027-28. The Nanooks finished with a 22-10-2 record, which tied them for the third-most wins in program history.
“I would like to thank Dr. Brock Anundson, UAF Chancellor Dr. Dan White and President Pat Pitney for their continued support of our hockey program.” Largen said in a statement. “We still have things we want to accomplish as a program and I’m excited to continue working towards great things with our staff and student-athletes. It has been an honor to lead this program and I look forward to building on the great traditions of Nanooks hockey both on and off the ice.”
The Anchorage Wolverines took the ice for the final time this season in a two-game road series against the Kenai River Brown Bears over the weekend. After falling 5-4 in a shootout Friday, they bounced back with a 5-3 outright win Saturday night to end the 2022-2023 season and head into the offseason on a positive note. They had eight players record a goal and were led by forward Mason LeBel who scored a pair in their season finale win.
Alaska stars shining Outside
Seward’s Lydia Jacoby claimed a pair of victories at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Illinois, this past week. The University of Texas at Austin freshman recorded her fastest time in the 100-meter breaststroke since her sensational gold medal-winning performance at the 2020 Olympics to take first place on Thursday with a mark of 1:06.09 in the women’s finals. She followed it up Saturday by taking first place in the women’s 50-meter breaststroke final with a mark of 30.29.
“I feel like my stroke is really coming back to me heading into this long-course season, so I’m really excited about the way we’re starting off,” Jacoby said in a statement.
Anchorage’s Jeremy Swayman stopped 30 shots on Thursday night as the Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in their regular-season finale to capture their NHL single-season record 65th victory. The win also tied the 24-year-old’s career-best win streak of eighth straight that he set last season and finished the season 24-6-4, which is his career-high in total wins and included a career-high four shutouts.
Wasilla’s Izzy Graham highlighted an extremely strong showing for Team Alaska Wrestling at the USMC Women’s National Championship this past weekend. The 9-year-old won a national title in the 10U, 55lb division and was one of 11 Alaskans that earned All-American honors after placing in the Top 8. This comes just a year after not a single Alaskan placed in the event in 2022 and Graham became the first Alaskan to win a title at the USMC event since 2019.
Palmer’s Fred Chmiel is leaving the comforts of NCAA Division women’s basketball powerhouse South Carolina University to lead his own program. After serving as an assistant coach for the Gamecocks where he helped his friend Dawn Staley win a pair of national titles in the past decade, Chmiel will be the head coach for the Bowling Green State University women’s basketball team.
Last week’s results
Prep
Soccer
Girls
Monday
Bartlett 2, Eagle River 0
Tuesday
South 6, Service 0
Wednesday
Wasilla 2, Colony 1
Dimond 5, Service 0
Friday
South 6, Colony 0
Boys
Wednesday
Colony 3, Wasilla 0
Friday
Colony 2, South 0
Saturday
Service 3, Diamond 0
Track and Field
Friday
Quad 1: West, Eagle River, Chugiak and South
Boys 100 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Ariel Sanchez 11.36, West Anchorage
2. Alan Szewczyk Jr 11.38, Eagle River
3. Semaj Walker 11.42, Chugiak
Girls 100 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Re’Zhanai Wyche 13.55, West Anchorage
2. Elliana Zock 13.70, South Anchorage
3. Fatou Sallah 13.77, West Anchorage
Boys 200 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Semaj Walker 23.41, Chugiak
2. Beckett Stolp 23.72, West Anchorage
3. Elijah Williams 23.89, Chugiak
Girls 200 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Anna Green 28.17, South Anchorage
2. Addison Capozzi 28.82, Chugiak
3. Maya Tirpack 29.11, South Anchorage
Boys 400 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Jack Molloy 52.74, Eagle River
2. Mason Birch 53.43, South Anchorage
3. Caleb Lillo 54.21, South Anchorage
Girls 400 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Alliyah Fields 1:00.50, Chugiak
2. Petra Knox 1:02.75, Chugiak
3. Samantha Legate 1:03.64, West Anchorage
Boys 800 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Murphy Kimball 2:04.86, West Anchorage
2. Rowan Robinson 2:07.15, South Anchorage
3. Owen Hayes 2:08.24, Chugiak
Girls 800 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Addison Capozzi 2:24.01, Chugiak
2. Campbell Peterson 2:24.48, Chugiak
3. Petra Knox 2:28.23, Chugiak
Boys 1600 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Blaise Boyer 4:39.08, South Anchorage
2. Blake Hanley 4:39.13, West Anchorage
3. Henry Michener 4:41.47, Eagle River
Girls 1600 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Campbell Peterson 5:13.69, Chugiak
2. Emily Moore 5:35.19, Chugiak
3. Allison Macy 5:39.16, Chugiak
Boys 110m Hurdles - 39″ Varsity - Finals
1. Alan Szewczyk Jr 15.17, Eagle River
2. Fafo Lefano 17.51, South Anchorage
3. Isaiah Douyon 17.83, South Anchorage
Girls 100m Hurdles - 33″ Varsity - Finals
1. Ellen Kruchoski 17.39a, Chugiak
2. Karsen Beaglee 17.88, West Anchorage
3. Makaylen King 18.20, South Anchorage
Boys 300m Hurdles - 36″ Varsity - Finals
1. Alan Szewczyk Jr 41.33, Eagle River
2. Fafo Lefano 45.51, South Anchorage
3. Isaiah Douyon 47.09, South Anchorage
Girls 300m Hurdles - 30″ Varsity - Finals
1. Makaylen King 50.71, South Anchorage
2. Audra Burrill 51.91, Chugiak
3. Hannah Stepetin 52.52, Chugiak
Boys 4x200 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. Chugiak 1:33.48
2. Chugiak - B 1:39.23
3. Chugiak - C 1:45.88
Girls 4x200 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. West Anchorage 1:51.03
2. South Anchorage 1:53.09
3. Chugiak 1:53.84
Boys 4x800 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. West Anchorage - A 9:16.83
2. Eagle River - B 9:49.17
Girls 4x800 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. Eagle River - A 11:33.90
2. Eagle River - B 12:15.27
Boys Shot Put - 12lb Varsity - Finals
1. Sone Falealo 43′09.25, West Anchorage
2. Logan Gagliardi 39′05.25, South Anchorage
3. Rotuma Tonu 38′09.75, Chugiak
Girls Shot Put - 4kg Varsity - Finals
1. Serah Vaafuti 33′10.50, West Anchorage
2. Faith Mata 33′01.50, West Anchorage
3. Norah Brown 32′10.00, West Anchorage
Boys High Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Everett Lathrop 5′2.00, Eagle River
2. Je’Shawn Spaights 5′2.00, Chugiak
3. David Trotter 5′0.00, Chugiak
Girls High Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Rachael White 5′0.00, South Anchorage
2. Emily Moore 4′8.00, Chugiak
3. Kayla Cagle 4′8.00, South Anchorage
Boys Long Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Ariel Sanchez 20′00.00, West Anchorage
2. Anders Larsen 17′02.00, Chugiak
3. Murphy Dykstra 17′00.50, West Anchorage
Girls Long Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Samantha Jensen 15′01.50, Chugiak
2. Isabella Pederson 15′01.25, Eagle River
3. Makaylen King 14′09.50, South Anchorage
Saturday
Quad 2: Bartlett, Service, Dimond and East.
Boys 100 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Brian Morris 11.22, East Anchorage
2. Marquez Nevitte 11.51, Bartlett
3. Vance Harris 11.82, Dimond
Girls 100 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Olyvia Mamae 12.91, East Anchorage
2. Tamiyah Moses 13.42, Dimond
3. Sarah Dittman 13.51, Dimond
Boys 200 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Marquez Nevitte 23.26, Bartlett
2. A’lante Owens-Player 23.82, Bartlett
3. Malachi Coski 23.98, Dimond
Girls 200 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Sarah Dittman 27.15, Dimond
2. Avrey Campbell 28.01, Dimond
3. Magdalena Frydrychova 28.37, East Anchorage
Boys 400 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Garret Simon 52.59, Service
2. Brian Morris 53.13, East Anchorage
3. Murad Wright 53.23, East Anchorage
Girls 400 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Katie Mackin 1:06.81, Bartlett
2. Katie MacDonald 1:07.23, Dimond
3. Katherine Reinbold 1:07.94, Dimond
Boys 800 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Jarrett Jackson 2:12.58, Dimond
2. Bryce Herda 2:20.75, East Anchorage
3. Holten Reid 2:22.81, Bartlett
Girls 800 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Sophia Scott 2:37.99, Dimond
2. Katie Mackin 2:45.76, Bartlett
3. Claire Mackin 2:45.90, Bartlett
Boys 1600 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Jarrett Jackson 4:39.58, Dimond
2. Julio Ramirez 4:44.18, East Anchorage
3. Dash Dicang 4:47.21, Dimond
Girls 1600 Meters Varsity - Finals
1. Adria Wuerth 5:33.40, Service
2. Emily Erickson 6:02.12, Dimond
3. Molly McBride 6:04.42, Dimond
Boys 110m Hurdles - 39″ Varsity - Finals
1. Tyler Drake 16.61, Bartlett
2. Malachi Coski 17.34, Dimond
3. Hayden Foss 17.35, Bartlett
Girls 100m Hurdles - 33″ Varsity - Finals
1. Olyvia Mamae 15.55, East Anchorage
2. Magdalena Frydrychova 18.33, East Anchorage
3. Kyna Cornils 19.81, Bartlett
Boys 300m Hurdles - 36″ Varsity - Finals
1. Grant Weber 44.17, Dimond
2. Zuriel Guzman 45.53, Bartlett
3. Kyan Caldarera 46.20, Service
Girls 300m Hurdles - 30″ Varsity - Finals
1. Magdalena Frydrychova 51.60, East Anchorage
2. Linai Tuers 54.72, Service
3. Elena Snow 56.11, Dimond
Boys 4x200 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. East Anchorage 1:33.51
2. Bartlett 1:33.82
3. Service 1:38.98
Girls 4x200 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. Dimond 1:58.78
2. Service 1:59.75
3. Bartlett 2:03.33
Boys 4x800 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. Dimond - A 9:37.82
2. Bartlett - A 10:10.88
Girls 4x800 Relay Varsity - Finals
1. Dimond - B 11:06.65
2. Bartlett - A 11:41.99
3. Dimond - A 11:56.45
Boys Shot Put - 12lb Varsity - Finals
1. Tristian Savelio 45′03.00, Bartlett
2. Niko Alailefaleula 44′06.00, Bartlett
3. George Lane 41′00.25, East Anchorage
Girls Shot Put - 4kg Varsity - Finals
1. Marianna Nevitte 27′11.50, Bartlett
2. Alina Quinto 25′04.50, East Anchorage
3. Inari Johnson 25′00.00, East Anchorage
Boys High Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Vance Harris 6′1.00, Dimond
2. Malachi Casey 6′0.00, Dimond
3. Deshawn Rushmeyer 5′10.00, East Anchorage
Girls High Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Delaney Fagerstrom 4′9.00, Dimond
2. Evelyn Whitson 4′4.00, East Anchorage
3. Allison Leistico 4′2.00, Service
Boys Long Jump Varsity - Finals
1. A’lante Owens-Player 19′08.75, Bartlett
2. Zuriel Guzman 19′07.00, Bartlett
3. Deshawn Rushmeyer 18′08.50, East Anchorage
Girls Long Jump Varsity - Finals
1. Sarah Dittman 15′11.75, Dimond
2. Mika Bell 12′10.00, Service
3. Rori Temple 12′07.75, Service
NAHL
Friday
Kenai River Brown Bears 5, Anchorage Wolverines 4
Saturday
Anchorage Wolverines 5, Kenai River Brown Bears 3
Fast Forward
Prep
Baseball
South vs. Eagle River, Tuesday at Bartlett 6:45 p.m.
The two-time reigning Division I state champion Wolverines will begin their title defense with a matchup against the two-time reigning American Legion state champion Eagle River Wolves on Tuesday and on Friday night at the same time on the same field, they will take on the Sitka Wolves in a rematch of last year’s title bout.
Track and Field
Quad 1, Wednesday from 3-9 p.m. and Quad 2, Thursday from 3-9 p.m.
All eight of the ASD track and field teams will be back in action at The Dome sports complex this week with another pair of quad meets. The first will feature Service, West, South, and Dimond on Wednesday and the second will pit Bartlett, Eagle River, Chugiak and East against each other.
Softball
South vs. Bartlett, Saturday at Albrecht Field 1 at 11 a.m.
The 2023 season will officially get underway this week with a jam-packed slate of games that will take place at the Albrecht Fields in Anchorage and the Loretta French Fields in Chugiak. The two-time reigning Division I champion Wolverines will begin their title defense with a matchup against the Golden Bears on Saturday while the two-time runner-up Mustangs will host the Eagles on Friday and then play rival Eagle River and Colony in a doubleheader Saturday.
Native Youth Olympics
Thursday-Saturday at Alaska Airlines Center
Young athletes from across the state will converge on Anchorage this week to take part in the annual senior games to display their athleticism in numerous events that hold cultural significance for Alaska’s indigenous population. Thursday will feature opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m. followed by the kneel jump, wrist carry and high kick. Friday’s events will include the scissor broad jump, Eskimo stick pull, one-hand reach, and the two-foot high kick. Saturday will wrap up with the Indian stick pull, one-foot high kick and the seal hop.