Sequim High grads competing on the next level

Following Sequim High graduate Elise Beuke’s second NCAA championship season rowing for the University of Washington, more than a dozen other former Wolves are making an impact across the country for their college’s athletic programs (and beyond) as well:

Former Sequim High wrestling standout Alma Mendoza competes for Colorado Mesa Mavericks’ wrestling squad. Photo courtesy of Colorado Mesa Athletics

Former Sequim High wrestling standout Alma Mendoza competes for Colorado Mesa Mavericks’ wrestling squad. Photo courtesy of Colorado Mesa Athletics

Mendoza shines at Junior Pan AM Games

A standout wrestler at Sequim High School, Alma Mendoza is taking her grappling skills to the international level.

A freshman at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo., Mendoza competed with the USA freestyle wrestling team at the 2019 Junior Pan American Championships, held June 5-7 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

She earned a silver medal in her weight class (68 kilograms), going 2-1 and helping her 10-member Team USA squad take the Pan Am title.

Mendoza opened with a 4-0 win over Krizia Ortega of Peru. In round two she dropped an 11-1 decision to eventual gold medalist Thamires Martis Macahado of Brazil before rebounding to knock off Canadian Berit Johnson 3-2 for second place.

Mendoza, a 2017 Sequim High graduate, went 24-15 during the 2018-2019 season at Colorado Mesa, wrestling at 155 pounds. She placed second in her weight class at the 2019 Junior World Team Trials and seventh at the 2019 U23 World Team Trials.

At Sequim High, Mendoza qualified for the MatClassic prep state three times, placing second at 155 pounds as a senior, seventh at 140 pounds as a junior, and seventh at 125 pounds as a freshman.

Hurn for the Herd, Lefties

Evan Hurn, a 2016 Sequim High graduate, is back on the Olympic Peninsula playing for the Port Angeles Lefties. A third baseman, Hurn was hitting .375 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs in just 16 at-bats for the West Coast League team.

A junior playing for Marshall’s Thundering Herd baseball squad, Hurn saw limited time primarily playing first base for a team that finished 29-28 overall. In 19 games (eight starts) Hurn batted .171 with two doubles and five RBIs. He played error-free ball at first, cleanly handling 64 putouts and four assists.

Hurn played baseball at Edmonds Community College in 2017 and 2-18. In his sophomore season he put up a stat line of .333/.468/.527 while helping his team to a NWAC North Region Championship, a third-place finish in the NWAC Tournament being named second-team all-NWAC north.

At Sequim High, Hurn was named an all-Olympic League first team infielder (second base) as a junior after leading the team with a .400 batting average and 18 RBIs, and led the Wolves in extra base hits with 10 (five doubles, three triples, two home runs) as a senior. He also played for the Bellingham Bells in the West Coast League and Wilder Baseball.

Sequim High School 2015 grad Alex Barry took ninth place in the javelin at the NCAA Division II Track and Field championships in late May. Photo courtesy of Western Washington University

Sequim High School 2015 grad Alex Barry took ninth place in the javelin at the NCAA Division II Track and Field championships in late May. Photo courtesy of Western Washington University

Sequim’s Barry ninth at Div. II finals

Sequim High School 2015 graduate Alex Barry, now competing at Western Washington University, placed ninth in the javelin at the NCAA Division II Track and Field championships held at Texas A&M-Kingsville May 24-26.

A senior, Barry became a two-time All-American, adding his ninth-place finish to his fourth-place finish at nationals last year.

Barry entered the championship meet seeded 17th. He threw 200 feet, 4 inches in his third and final attempt in preliminaries, moving on to the finals, where he fouled twice and passed on his third throw to finish ninth.

He needed just one throw at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships — and only his second of the season, thanks to an injury — to record an NCAA II provisional qualifying mark (206 feet, 3 inches).

Barry ends his WWU track career as a three-time competitor at the state meet, a three-time All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection and two-time Division II All-American. He is second all-time at WWU in the javelin with his throw of 224-4 last year at the NCAA Div. II Championships.

Barry was a standout in track and basketball at Sequim High, earning a Class 2A state javelin title in 2015 and Olympic League basketball MVP honors in 2014-2015.

Sequim High 2016 graduate Waverly Shreffler races for Western Washington University’s Vikings. Photo courtesy of Western Washington University

Sequim High 2016 graduate Waverly Shreffler races for Western Washington University’s Vikings. Photo courtesy of Western Washington University

Shreffler races at WWU

A 2016 Sequim High School graduate, Waverly Shreffler capped her 2019 spring outdoor track season placing 15th in the 800-meter run at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on May 11, finishing in 2:21.23.

A junior at WWU, Shreffler placed second in the 800 at the Ed Boitano Invitational in Tacoma on March 2 and fourth in the same event at the Saint Martin’s Jay Hammer Open on April 13.

Shreffler is a former state champ at Sequim High, racing to a Class 2A title in the 800 in 2016 with a personal prep best 2:19.11. She also placed fourth in the 800 at the 2015 state finals, and helped the Wolves’ 4×400 relay team earn back-to-back medals (top eight) at the 2015 and 2016 state meets.

A cross country standout at SHS as well, Shreffler placed sixth at the state cross country 2A finals in 2015.

Sequim High 2018 graduate Sarah Shea tees it up for WWU’s Vikings. Photo courtesy of Western Washington University

Sequim High 2018 graduate Sarah Shea tees it up for WWU’s Vikings. Photo courtesy of Western Washington University

Shea on links for Vikes

A former Olympic League MVP, Sequim High 2018 graduate Sarah Shea drives fairways for the Western Washington University Vikings’ women’s golf team.

Shea, a freshman, saw action in four tourneys this season, with her top finish coming at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in April where she tied for 12th, shooting 83 and 79 (20-over par) during the two-day tourney.

The Vikings placed third in the six-team championship, falling short of receiving the GNAC’s automatic NCAA Division II Championships bid.

As a Wolf, Shea tied for fifth place at the state 2A tournament as a senior. She placed 22nd as a junior and 15th as a sophomore at state.

Sequim High 2017 graduate Alex McMenamin tees off for the George Fox Bruins. Photo courtesy of George Fox Sports Marketing

Sequim High 2017 graduate Alex McMenamin tees off for the George Fox Bruins. Photo courtesy of George Fox Sports Marketing

McMenamin, Bruins at Div. III finals

A golfing standout as a ninth-grader at Sequim High, Alex McMenamin tees it up as a sophomore for the George Fox University women’s golf team.

McMenamin, a 2017 Sequim High graduate, helped George Fox tie for seventh place at the NCAA Div. III National Championships, held in Houston May 14-17. McMenamin tied for 41st overall (32nd in team scoring) out of 81 competitors at the national finals, finishing with a four-round total of 317, 29-over par.

She shot identical rounds of 6-over-par 78 to finish second as an individual at the Northwest Conference Championships in Walla Walla in late April. She and the No. 2-ranked Bruins captured their second consecutive Northwest Conference Co-Championship after a runner-up finish at the championships.

At Sequim High, McMenamin placed third as a freshman, ninth (tied) as a sophomore, fifth as a junior and sixth as a senior at the class 2A state golf tourneys. She was named Olympic League MVP all four years.

James Grubb

James Grubb

Grubb, Red Devils top NWAC

An outfielder/pitcher for the Lower Columbia Red Devils, 2017 Sequim High graduate James Grubb made the most of limited playing time as he helped the team go 40-9 overall (22-3 in conference play) and claim the school’s third consecutive NWAC title and 14th overall.

In just 16 at-bats in eight games, Grubb, a sophomore at Lower Columbia, racked up nine hits — two of them doubles — for a .563 batting average, to go with four RBIs.

A 2017 Sequim High grad, Grubb named to the Washington State Baseball Coaches’ Association Class 2A All-State team after hitting .432 with 33 RBIs and a team-high 19 stolen bases as a senior. He also played club ball for Wilder Baseball.

Lower Columbia is coached by former Port Angeles High standout Eric Lane.

Sequim High 2017 grad Nicole Anders looks for a base hit for the College of St. Scholastica softball squad. Photo courtesy St. Scholastica Athletics

Sequim High 2017 grad Nicole Anders looks for a base hit for the College of St. Scholastica softball squad. Photo courtesy St. Scholastica Athletics

Anders, Saints vie for wins

A 2017 Sequim High graduate, Nicole Anders hits the diamond for the College of Saint Scholastica’s softball squad in Duluth, Minn.

A sophomore at College of Saint Scholastica, Anders played in 36 games, all starts, and hit .333 with eight doubles, a home run and 14 RBIs. She added 19 steals in 21 attempts. A leadoff hitter, Anders predominantly played left field.

The Saints finished 23-16 overall and 12-4 in conference play, going 1-2 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament May 2-3.

Bentz playing for Tritons

A former all-Olympic League first team shortstop (2016), Jordan Bentz takes her cuts with Edmonds Community College’s softball team.

This spring Bentz, a middle infielder and 2017 Sequim High graduate, hit .391 with two doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs in 24 games as a freshman for the Tritons.

Edmonds finished 41-10 overall, 26-6 in the North Division, and earned a spot in the NWAC championship before falling to North Idaho College.

Former Sequim High standout Ian Miller pitches for the Yakima Valley College as they take on Big Bend in October 2018 in Yakima. Photo by Gordon King/Gordon King Photography

Former Sequim High standout Ian Miller pitches for the Yakima Valley College as they take on Big Bend in October 2018 in Yakima. Photo by Gordon King/Gordon King Photography

Hurling for the Yaks

A freshman southpaw, Ian Miller saw a little action for the Yakima Valley Yaks’ baseball squad this spring. Miller appeared in two games in relief, giving up three runs over four innings while striking out four and walking two. The Yaks finished 30-19 and 19-9 in conference play, qualifying for the NWAC tournament.

At Sequim High, Miller — a 2018 SHS grad — was a first-team All-Olympic League selection as a junior after posting a 5-1 record and 2.60 ERA.

Samantha Smith

Samantha Smith

Smith at Skagit

A 2018 Sequim High graduate, freshman Samantha Smith hits the greens for the Skagit Valley Cardinals women’s golf team. The Cardinals placed sixth at the NEAC tourney. Smith had her best finish when she tied for ninth at the Columbia Basin Invitational in early April, and placed 13th overall at the Spokane League Match April 21-22.

While at Sequim High, Smith was named an all-Olympic League first-teamer as a senior. She tied for 44th overall at the state 2A tournament in both junior and senior seasons.

Miguel Moroles

Miguel Moroles

Moroles on track

A junior at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Miguel Moroles — who plays football in the fall for the Bears — helped his school’s 4×400 relay team take eighth (3:24.15) at the New England Division III Championship track and field meet on May 4.

In late April, Moroles finished fifth in the 400 (51.57) at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championship.

A 2015 Sequim High graduate, Moroles earned all-Olympic League first team honors in football as a senior at Sequim High.

Sequim High graduate Megan Breckenridge competes for the Evergreen State College track team. Photo by Nick Dawson

Sequim High graduate Megan Breckenridge competes for the Evergreen State College track team. Photo by Nick Dawson

Breckenridge, Happe make throws for Evergreen

A multi-sport star at Evergreen as well as during her time at Sequim High, Megan Breckenridge competed in several events for the Evergreen State College track and field squad.

Breckenridge set personal bests of 108-10 in the discus (at the Shotwell Invitational on April 6) and 114-4 in the hammer throw (at the CCC Championships on May 11) for the NAIA school this spring. Both marks were among the top 30 in the Cascade Conference.

Breckenridge, a 2016 Sequim High grad, also starred for Evergreen’s soccer and volleyball squads.

As a Wolf, she was named to the all-Olympic League volleyball first team following her senior season.

Evergreen track teammate Gretchen Happe, a 2016 Sequim High grad, saw action in one meet this season, placing 13th in the javelin at the Shotwell Invitational on April 6.

Primarily a relay runner for Sequim High’s track team, Happe helped the Wolves place fifth in the 4×400 relay at the 2016 state 2A meet.

Oscar Herrera

Oscar Herrera

Herrera hurdling

A standout for Sequim High’s track and field squad, Oscar Herrera now competes with the University of Washington squad. A junior at UW, Herrera placed second in the 400-meter hurdles (54.25) at the Ken Shannon Invitational on May 4 and third in the same event (54.29) at a dual meet against Washington State University on April 6.

A 2016 Sequim High graduate, Herrera was a multiple-time state finalist at the 2A level in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles and a four-time individual Olympic League champion after sweeping the hurdles as a junior and senior. He anchored the 2A state title winning 4×400 relay at the state 2015 meet.

Kaylee Gumm

Kaylee Gumm

Gumm bats for Panthers

A sophomore at Middlebury College (Vermont), 2017 Sequim High graduate Kaylee Gumm hit .282 with a home run and eight RBIs in 15 games for Middlebury’s women’s softball squad.

Middlebury’s Panthers, who compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, finished 12-19 overall.

Gumm, primarily a first baseman in college and for the Wolves in high school, was an all-Olympic League first team infielder in 2015.