Mercer Island High School graduate Sarah Shulman was named by Inside Triathlon magazine as an All-American triathlete for 2004.

``I'm glad to get one for something I earned ... I have my parents to thank,'' Shulman told the magazine. ``They were really outdoor -oriented.''

The 23-year-old former Islander earned the honor with her age-group victory during the Ironman Hawaii world championships with a time of 10:51:04.

The middle school teacher and Stanford University graduate finished 27th overall for women. Over 500 women competed in the triathlon this year. Shulamn currently resides in Menlo Park, Calif.

Rasmussen named to Pac-10 Hall of Honor

Mercer Island resident and former University of Oregon basketball player Blair Rasmussen will be inducted into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor during the basketball league tournament in Los Angeles this March. Rasmussen was a three-time all-conference selection and still holds the school's records for career, season and single-game blocked shots.

Rasmussen coached the Mercer Island High School girls basketball team for six years and attended Auburn High School.

``It is pretty exciting,'' said Rasmussen. ``When you play, you never think about something like this. You play because you enjoy it.''

Rasmussen is also in the University of Oregon's athletic Hall of Fame.

National champion Islanders at USC

Former Mercer Island High School standout football players David Kirtman and Taylor Odegard were both a part of the recent University of Southern California football team that defeated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship 55-19.

Kirtman, a fullback for the Trojans, had a pass reception for 15 yards and rushed for four yards on one carry during the game. Odegard is a freshmen kicker for the team and did not see any playing time.

The team completed an undefeated 13-0 season with the win.

Kirtman was also in a cover photo for the Dec. 13 issue of Sports Illustrated featuring USC and standout Reggie Bush doing a flip into the endzone against UCLA.

Bronco Spring Select Baseball at BGC

The Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club's Bronco Spring Select team will hold tryouts Sunday at Newport High School from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for boys ages 11-12.

Practices will start in mid-February and will be held on the Island. Games will begin in March and will be played throughout King County.

Participants will practice 1-2 times per week and play 2-3 games per week. Players must attend the scheduled tryout.

Mercer Island baseball and softball

The Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club registration for boys and girls ages 5-12 who want to play baseball or softball will begin Monday. Registration will remain open until Feb. 13 or until the program is full, whichever comes first.

The youth baseball and softball program is designed to teach players the fundamentals of baseball and softball while developing self-esteem, values and skills.

The program begins in late March and will run through the end of the school year. Specific league information is available on the Web site.

All baseball games and practices will be held on the Island at local schools and parks. All the softball practices will be held on the Island and games will be played both on the Island and in surrounding communities.

All baseball and softball leagues are determined by player's age as of July 31, 2005. Space is limited.

Mercer Island

lacrosse registration

Registration for the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club lacrosse program is from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30 at Islander Middle School.

Programs include boys Middle School lacrosse, and Elementary School coed programs for grades 1-4. Space is limited.

Bring sticks to registration to play in a clinic hosted by the high school players. Call Karen Kaufman at 230-5781 for more information.

Girls spring

soccer league

The Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club will offer a girls spring recreational soccer league. Leagues are available for girls in grades 2-9. Practices will be held on the Island and games will be played both on the Island and in Bellevue.

This is a cooperative program with the Bellevue Boys & Girls Club.

Practices will begin the week of March 28 and games begin the week of April 18. Players will have one practice and one game per week.

Practice days and times are set by the coach. All players must register online at www.mipositiveplace.org between Jan. 24 and Feb. 25.

New programs for the 2005 baseball season

The Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club will offer these new programs this year: Girls-only T-ball for ages 5 and 6, and girls -only coach-pitch for ages 7 and 8 with an optional machine pitch league.

For specific details regarding these and any programs the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club offers, go to www.mipositiveplace.org or call Meredith Cutting at 232-4548.

Taylor awarded a scholarship for football

Mercer Island High School senior Chris Taylor was awarded a $2,000 scholarship as he was selected by the Seattle-King County Chapter as the best running back during the 39th annual National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award Ceremony held Sunday. Fellow Islander Preston Holland was also in attendance as a lineman nominee.

Over 300 football players, family and coaches attended the ceremony, held at the University of Washington Student Union Ballroom.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.