Hall of Fame | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘Hall of Fame’

Bayne a class act, always

Posted in Girls Soccer, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged CHS Wolves, Girls Soccer, Hall of Fame, Lauren Bayne, track and field on August 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Lauren Bayne, a Hall o’ Famer in every way. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

She is class, personified.

Owner of a big brain, a strong work ethic, and a killer instinct when engaged in athletic battle, Lauren Bayne never asked for the spotlight, never screamed for recognition.

She just went out, kicked some fanny (almost always while radiating great joy), then ambled off to support her teammates, friends, and classmates.

Lauren was a pro’s pro, and, like older brother Josh, let the results largely speak for themselves.

She carried herself with calmness, grace, a quiet strength … and great class, always.

Three years after Lauren’s graduation from Coupeville High School, a look back at her Wolf athletic career reveals she accomplished much.

As a middle schooler, she played volleyball and basketball with panache, while also competing in gymnastics.

Once she stepped through the doors of CHS, Lauren locked on to soccer and track, however, playing four years in both sports.

On the soccer pitch, she was a calming influence on her squad, rising to captain status, and earning that distinction multiple times over.

Bayne and fellow Wolf soccer captain Sage Renninger enjoy Senior Night festivities. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Lauren did the dirty work, and did it with a spring in her step, anchoring the Wolf defense — a unit which gelled around her.

She would not be pushed around on the field, fighting for every 50/50 ball, constantly encouraging her back line mates to fight with the same conviction she always showed.

Through it all, what lingered longest was the class she showed, as when she hailed her teammates in her Senior Night speech.

“Our little soccer family is the best, and I’m so glad to have become friends with everyone and to get to play with you,” Lauren said in the moment.

“Most of all, my defenders, we have worked our butts off and the new defensive line this year has been killer.

“So, kisses to my back line!”

Lauren’s strength, her inner fire, and her class were all on display during her days in Coupeville’s track and field program, as well.

Bayne and Danny Conlisk, state track meet veterans. (Dawnelle Conlisk photo)

Never afraid to try something new, she competed in 11 different events over the course of four seasons — jumping, throwing, and running with wild abandon.

There was little Lauren wouldn’t try, as she ran on relay teams, tried distance running, did a sprint or two, and hurled throwing implements into the great wide open.

And she was good, often really good, in whatever she tried.

During her CHS track career, Lauren registered wins in the high jump, 3200, triple jump, and 4 x 400.

Twice she qualified for state, making it to the big dance in the high jump as a junior, before making a return trip to Cheney as a javelin thrower during her senior season.

In her final moments as a high school athlete, Lauren went out with a bang, setting a PR in the javelin and putting an emphatic stamp on her prep days.

Her throw, which smashed down onto the Eastern Washington University turf after traveling 109 feet, two inches, was almost 10 feet better than the best throw by any other Wolf girl over the past decade.

The queen of the booster club’s crab feed fundraiser. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Then, she moved on, off to see what adventures awaited off-Island, ready to amaze and inspire while chasing real-life dreams.

Whatever path Lauren follows in her post-CHS days, I am confident she will find great success.

She is smart, kind, very strong, and always willing to put in the work. Plus super-classy, if we haven’t already mentioned that multiple times.

Back here in Cow Town Lauren will be remembered for all she accomplished, and the manner in which she reached her goals.

Today, she joins her brother, Josh, in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, welcomed into our lil’ digital shrine.

From now on, when you pop up to the top of the blog and look under the Legends tab, you’ll find her hanging out there.

A class act who deserves everything good which comes her way.

Always reaching for the stars. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Two sisters, one cheer dream

Posted in Cheer, tagged Amanda Neitzel, Cheer, CHS Wolves, Hall of Fame, Maddy Neitzel on August 9, 2021| 1 Comment »

Amanda (Neitzel) Score, back when she was rockin’ the sidelines for Coupeville High School. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Big sis Maddy Neitzel prepares to get loud ‘n proud.

The cheer gene is strong in their family.

Maddy Neitzel and lil’ sis Amanda (Neitzel) Score remain two of the most-electrifying athletes to ever grace the hallways of Coupeville High School.

The duo were Wolf cheerleaders, loyal to the cause from “toe to bow,” front and center on some extremely-enthusiastic squads, and their impact lingers long after they have headed out into the real world.

Both sisters live in Arizona now, but haven’t been forgotten by Coupeville fans.

And the siblings still have Whidbey connections, as their romantic unions stretch back to their days in a CHS uniform.

Amanda, a 2017 grad, married her high school sweetheart, former Wolf baseball player Kory Score.

Meanwhile, Maddy, who earned her high school diploma in 2016, is engaged to fellow Coupeville alum T.J. Stream.

Amanda celebrates the end of her high school days with classmate Megan DePorter.

Jump back in time when the Neitzel sisters were walking the CHS hallways and patrolling the sidelines at Mickey Clark Field, and one thing remains fixed in memory.

And that is how genuinely full of light the siblings were (and, surely, still are).

Smart, strong, and very kind, the Neitzels brought high energy to their cheer game, and were capable of flying high into the heavens, or making the skies rumble with their impassioned vocal work and stunts.

All cheerleaders, whether they’re seasoned pros or green newbies, have at least a bit of that in them. Otherwise they wouldn’t have stepped up and claimed the uniform.

But Maddy and Amanda set themselves apart from the pack by having an extra measure of energy, an ability to work as part of a team while always poppin’ out from the crowd.

They didn’t intentionally try to steal the spotlight from their fellow cheerleaders, but it was always obvious there was something special about the Neitzel sisters.

Maddy and Amanda had that magical quality only a few genuinely have.

They were stars, pure and simple.

It’s why, after hundreds of Wolf cheerleaders have come and gone at CHS, the Neitzels still burn bright in our memories.

They had impact. They were truly memorable.

So today they enter the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, joining a select group of cheerleaders to earn entry into our digital shrine to excellence.

After this, the Neitzel sisters can be found hanging out at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

One word which perfectly fits two sisters.

Maddy is joined by fellow Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Famer Jazmine Franklin for an epic stare-down. (Gabe Wynn photo)

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Prairie powerhouse, eternal legend

Posted in Basketball, Girls Soccer, Softball, tagged Basketball, CHS Wolves, Girls Soccer, Hall of Fame, Mollie Bailey, Softball on July 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Mollie Bailey, prairie legend. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mollie Bailey didn’t really need me.

Rising up from the prairie dirt as a fully-formed rural myth, capable of entertaining herself and others while achieving great feats, she was fully capable of building her own legend without an unpaid PR man to hype her.

But she let me hang around, and write about her for many years, so she’s got that going for her, which is nice.

Along the way, she morphed from a little girl with braids, chucking the ball at the hoop alongside Logan Martin during countless basketball halftimes, into a strong, confident young woman who soared in the classroom and on the softball diamond.

She was a terror swinging a bat, yet equally brilliant with a stack of books in front of her.

Mollie followed in the large footsteps of older sisters McKayla and McKenzie, warrior queens in their own right, but the youngest child always (I said always!) carved her own path.

Staring down the world from behind shades, she bopped along to a drummer’s beat, which is appropriate, as that’s the instrument she plays.

“Let’s get this party started!”

It’s easy, too easy sometimes, to compare people to Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey, the master of laid-back cool, but with Mollie it really feels right.

On the soccer pitch, on the basketball court, and, especially, on the softball diamond, she never betrayed any nervousness, never looked flustered or lost.

So maybe she was more like Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski — always abiding.

Others walk, or run, but Mollie?

She cruised along, slow-nodding to her hyperventilating fan section when she felt like it, delivering one-liners out of the side of her mouth while crafting memorable moments.

As a sophomore, she was a key contributor to a Coupeville High School softball squad which went to state, then made considerable noise while at the big dance.

The pandemic ripped her junior diamond season from her grasp, but Mollie was back as a senior, Covid mask in place, going absolutely bonkers at the plate.

Hitting in the cleanup spot, the Wolf catcher put together an often-astounding final campaign, bashing the snot out of the ball.

She hit at well over a .500 clip, raining down double after booming double with a gentle flick of her powerful wrists, kick-starting a CHS offense which outscored foes 154-41 during a 12-0 season.

Smashing the crud out of the softball — it’s kind of her thing.

As hot at the plate as she was — and there were times when the bat threatened to melt as Mollie merrily mashed — she was also a calming influence while clad in her catcher’s gear.

Wolf hurler Izzy Wells was rarely in trouble this spring, but the few times other teams threatened to make a run, it was Mollie, laconic and rarely-ruffled, who promptly settled her team down.

Her athletic success carried over to other sports, as well, as she patrolled goal for the CHS soccer squad, and popped her share of shots from outside during her time on the basketball hardwood.

Through it all, she kept her family’s tradition alive, always (I said always!) knowing where the camera was.

But Mollie, like McKayla and McKenzie before her, is much more than just an athlete.

She claimed valedictorian honors, earned a staggering number of scholarships, and is headed to the University of Washington, where she’s been directly admitted to the College of Engineering.

Brilliance — a family trademark.

Mollie is the product of a union between two long-time prairie families — Bailey and Engle — and is likely related to 74.3% of people in Coupeville, many of whom have been great athletes and/or students.

Hanging out with a small portion of her large fan club.

It would have been easy for her to coast along, go under the radar.

Instead, she’s boldly carved out her own path to success, and will remain as one of the enduring legends from my time writing about life on the prairie.

Today, Mollie joins her sisters in receiving an honor which is both fake and real, all at the same time — induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

After this, you can find her hanging out up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

Being the coolest cat in the club, and doing it her way.

Always.

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Killer Cat, forever a class act

Posted in Cross Country, Track, tagged Catherine Lhamon, CHS Wolves, cross country, Hall of Fame, track and field on June 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Catherine Lhamon, #1 time and again. (Helene Lhamon photo)

Killer Cat led the revolution.

Over the past three years, as Coupeville brought its cross country program back to life at both the high school and middle school level, one athlete has been firmly at the forefront.

Catherine Lhamon, who graduated with the Class of 2021, was already an established distance runner with the Wolf track team in 2018.

But when cross country was reinstated after a two-decade pause at CHS and CMS, she quickly became the linchpin of the program.

That first season it was her and Danny Conlisk who immediately went to the front of the line for Coupeville, then Lhamon carried a leadership role the past two seasons.

Running for three coaches in as many seasons, Lhamon attacked the course with great passion, while providing a role model for the rapidly-growing group of younger runners coming up behind her.

As a junior, she made it to the state meet, while as a senior she went undefeated, winning all four races in a pandemic-altered season.

Celebrating a trip to state with coach Luke Samford. (Helene Lhamon photo)

Covid prevented Lhamon from making a bid at returning to state in 2021, but, as Coupeville’s lone senior, she was the quietly-fierce leader of her squad.

She dominated on the trails — including the first home meets CHS has held since the ’90s — winning all of her races by a minute-plus or better.

Lhamon was just as effective during her three seasons on the CHS track and field team.

Well, technically four, as she was primed and ready to rumble when the pandemic wiped out spring sports in 2020.

During her high school days, Lhamon regularly competed in the 800, 1600, and 3200, while also running on two different relay teams.

Showcasing her grit and determination, her best performances came in the longest event, as she won 3200 races every season she competed.

Zipping along in the Age of Coronavirus. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Distance running, whether track or cross country, is often the loneliest of all sports, as you’re out there by yourself, often with the field considerably stretched out.

It seemed to be a world built for Lhamon, however, as she always seemed to be a self-contained athlete — one who went out and demolished people, yet never seemed to need to thump her chest about how impressive she was.

And impressive is a word which truly fits Catherine, both in the world of running, and in the real world.

Like mom Helene and lil’ sis Carolyn, Killer Cat is undeniably brilliant, a highly-intelligent, highly-motivated young woman who is bound to make a huge positive mark on the world as she goes forward.

The long-distance Lhamon carries herself with a quiet grace, a near-flawless example to young Coupeville athletes, boys and girls.

I remember her younger days, when she played volleyball at the middle school level, and Catherine’s demeanor, work ethic, and commitment — to team and self — has never changed.

A young Killer Cat at work.

We’re supposed to root equally for all Coupeville athletes, but, truth be told, that’s never going to happen.

Some simply rise above the others, and through their actions, and the class they show at every step of the trail, become our favorites.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Catherine Lhamon has always been one of the Wolves whose success felt earned, felt deserved, felt right.

When she did well, which was almost always, it has been very easy to be happy for her, and her family.

A stellar young woman being rightfully rewarded.

Today, we induct Miss Lhamon into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, adding her to a select list of those who have gone above and beyond.

Some of our inductees do it on skill alone. Others on attitude and intangibles.

Those who combine both, as Catherine does, stand apart even more, and are part of that 1% sitting atop the pyramid.

After this, when you bounce across the top of the blog, you’ll find her up there, under the Legends tab.

And, in the future, when next-gen Wolf athletes stop and ask, “Who was Catherine Lhamon?,” the answer will be an easy one.

“She was everything that was right about Coupeville sports.”

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Chernikoff a rare gem, on and off the court

Posted in Volleyball, tagged CHS Wolves, Hall of Fame, Kylie Chernikoff, painting, volleyball on June 28, 2021| 1 Comment »

Kylie Chernikoff, enjoying every minute. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Is Kylie Chernikoff’s middle name Joy? Cause it probably should be.

Few Coupeville athletes have displayed such a consistently-positive attitude over the past six years, and it’s a mood the recent Wolf grad displayed in both good times and bad.

When she wasn’t playing, Chernikoff was almost always front and center to cheer on her classmates in their athletic pursuits.

And not just to sit in the stands and poke at her phone.

Kylie was an enthuiastic participant in everything she did, and being one of the loudest ‘n proudest inhabitants of the Wolf student section was something which seemed to bring her great joy.

Goodwill to all has always seemed to flow from Kylie, and, from the perspective of someone in the stands, there is a rare light which shines when you see how she interacts with her friends, family, and fans.

It’s true — you can be a mopey mess and still be a very-good athlete.

Chernikoff, however, has embraced the other path.

She excels in all of her athletic pursuits, and seems like a very-intelligent, compassionate young woman as well.

From her first appearances here on Coupeville Sports — as a discus-flinging middle school track and field star — to the final days of her senior year at CHS, Kylie has been a whirlwind.

While she stepped away from track after her freshman season, Chernikoff also played basketball for the Wolves.

She was a scrapper and a hustler, a bit of a brawler on defense (which makes her one of the special ones), and the kind of player for which CHS coaches David and Amy King always had a deep appreciation.

But it was volleyball which held her in its thrall, as Chernikoff blasted spikes off of opponent’s kneecaps, destroying their will, then dancing off to celebrate with her teammates.

Hanging out with the parental units on volleyball’s Senior Night.

She was a dynamic JV player, capable of laying waste to everyone who came at her, and that carried over once she moved to varsity.

It’s easy to look at Chernikoff’s senior season and feel a certain degree of sorrow for her and her teammates, as the ongoing pandemic altered things.

The start of the season was pushed late, masks were required, and Coupeville played less matches than normal, with no chance to make a postseason run.

And yet, if you look closer, there is much to be happy about, and many reasons for Chernikoff to feel deservedly proud.

She rose to the moment, earning First-Team All-Conference honors, as the Wolves finished second in the Northwest 2B/1B League, losing only to two-time defending state champ La Conner.

The Wolves and Chernikoff pushed the Braves as hard as anyone did all season, and while they couldn’t topple the juggernaut, they made La Conner work for every point.

Charging into action on her way to being named First-Team All-Conference.

Making hustle play after hustle play, then going airborne to smash a put-away, Kylie impressed her coaches as well as the fans in the stands, ultimately taking home the team’s Heart of the Wolf award.

It’s true — events out of her control altered a season she had been working towards, a season she had been probably dreaming about.

That she didn’t bend, didn’t break, didn’t complain (at least in public), but remained committed to getting every last bit of joy she could out of what was offered, speaks to her character.

Chernikoff has talent, but I have seen a lot of athletes with as much or more talent drop the ball over the years.

Seeing Kylie fight, endlessly work, and celebrate what she EARNED is a lesson for every Coupeville athlete, no matter their age.

There were young girls camped in the stands this season, eyes glued to the action on the court (and the body language shown during time outs), and what they learned is they want to be like Kylie Chernikoff.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

A hustler and a scrapper, always.

When she comes back, somewhere down the road, to watch her old team play, now with new girls standing where she once stood, Chernikoff will know she made an impact.

She’ll know her work paid off, her commitment was rewarded — not just in the accolades she received, but in her ability to add another rock-solid brick to the wall that is CHS volleyball success.

As Kylie moves on to post-high school life — there are new worlds to conquer and new people waiting to discover that Miss Chernikoff is amazing — I hope she knows how respected she is by those in the stands.

Her game, her attitude, her commitment, the way she operated on, and off, the court, can stand as a bright, shining example to the next generation of players.

Today, on her birthday (convenient, yes, I know), we induct her into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

After this, when you stroll past the top of the blog and look under the Legends tab, that’s where she’ll be hanging out, enjoying every minute.