Any momentum the Mercer Island boys basketball team picked up through the first month of the season evaporated Friday as rival Bellevue picked them apart 55-30.
The Mercer Island girls basketball team had a chance Friday to make a statement and take control of its own destiny. But instead, a disastrous first half cost the team against Bellevue in a 66-48 loss.
The Mercer Island High School gymnastics team is getting healthy, slowly. The Islanders welcomed back senior Erika Reutimann to competition Thursday during their meet at Newport High School.
Roosevelt High School wrestlers took a rough ride on the mats of Mercer Island last Wednesday, losing 57-18.
The Mercer Island boys swim team took two big steps forward during the past 12 days. The Islanders’ trip to Minnesota for the Minneapolis Invite resulted in a big win, moving them closer to the goal of a national title. The team returned home Thursday and destroyed Woodinville 123-53. On Saturday it won the Kentridge Invitational (919.5) by 437.5 points to re-emphasize its power in Washington state.
The Mercer Island boys basketball team used an exhibition win, 59-46, against an Australian junior national team on Monday to warm up for one of the biggest games of the year.
The Mercer Island girls basketball team went 3-2 over winter break, finishing second at the Surf N’ Slam tournament in San Diego. The team lost to Newport on Friday at home and beat Tahoma in overtime on Saturday. The team performance has left them ranked ninth in the state in 3A girls basketball.
Very few athletes earn 12 varsity letters during their high school athletic career. Just three have achieved this feat since 2000, with the last being Jean Laschever in 2004. But one more will be added to this exclusive list when Mercer Island senior Janelle Chow competes for the track and field team this spring.
The calendar year for Mercer Island sports was full of shocking moments, championships and some very dominant aquatics.
The snow storm that blanketed Mercer Island last week was the catalyst for canceling four athletic events, including the first-ever wrestling tournament hosted by the high school, which was expecting upawrds of 1,000 people.
Tomorrow is Christmas and sports fans in Washington have had their fill of coal. Nothing has gone right, from the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City and the Mariners losing 101 games, to the Seahawks’ frustrating year of injuries and both Division I football teams in the state finishing with a combined 2-23 record.
There are many ways to quantify how good the Mercer Island boys swim team has become. Three consecutive state titles, national championships and state records are just a few of the team’s accomplishments. But maybe one of the most tangible accomplishments will take place next year. Three seniors have already signed letters of intent to swim at NCAA Division I schools. The Islanders also have at least five other swimmers with a good chance to compete at one of the highest levels that the sport has to offer.
There are many ways to quantify how good the Mercer Island boys swim team has become. Three consecutive state titles, national championships and state records are just a few of the team’s accomplishments.