Copyright Anchorage Daily News
Welcome back to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports. Last week featured several notable individual and team performances across the Alaska sports landscape at the high school and professional levels, as well as some developments on the college front. The 2025 high school hockey season raged on with multiple dominant performances. On the college scene, the University of Alaska Anchorage basketball teams dominated at home and the volleyball team notched a pair of impressive victories over elite competition. Outside the state, several Alaskans had impressive performances and career achievements worth recognizing and celebrating in their respective arenas. Headlines and highlights The postseason for the 2025 high school volleyball season got underway last weekend with regional action across the state. South Anchorage remained undefeated, extending its winning streak to 31 straight by running the table at the Cook Inlet Conference tournament. The Wolverines bested rival Dimond in the finals to win the championship, narrowly dropping the first set before winning the next three. “(I’m) really proud of the way they came together and competed throughout the entire tournament,” head coach Julie Kleven said. “Winning regions is a great accomplishment, but we know there is still work to be done and are looking forward to a very competitive state tournament.” In the finals, they were led in kills by senior Indy Kmet with 18, digs by junior Jessica Gieser with 21 and assists by senior Ellie Kleven with 43. [‘It takes every single one of us’: South High’s volleyball success has been a collaborative effort at every level] The second week of the prep hockey season saw South and Chugiak remain undefeated in CIC action with lopsided victories. The Wolverines improved to 3-0 after routing Service 11-4 last Wednesday and were led by seniors Ryden Scott, Nick Yohman and John Lamantia, who each scored a pair of goals. Meanwhile, the Mustangs skated to a pair of wins over Bartlett and Dimond by a combined score of 10-4 and got a pair of goals from seniors Cooper Gray, Sam Theis and Dane Casey. On the college sports scene, it was a busy week for UAA athletics as a trio of programs hosted two-game series at the Alaska Airlines Center and emerged victorious in each contest. While both basketball teams were playing exhibitions, the volleyball team had a pair of massive matchups against nationally ranked Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents. The Seawolves went the distance and pulled off a season-sweep of No. 8 Simon Fraser on Thursday and then avenged an earlier loss to No. 14 Western Washington by beating the Vikings in four sets on Saturday. “We were not executing in the first two sets and Simon took advantage of the opportunities we gave them,” UAA head coach Stacie Meisner said. “This is an extremely tough group though, and after we started to get some momentum in the third set, we didn’t let our foot off the gas. It was another great team win obviously, but special credit to Hannah and Eleasha (Sapon) for giving us a huge spark and making some incredible plays down the stretch.” Junior outside hitter Lee Ivakina led the team in kills over the span of the two matches, with 38 — including a career-high 25 in the win over the Vikings. After opening their 2025-26 campaign with a pair of double-digit losses on the road last week, the UAA men’s basketball team flipped the script at home last weekend with a pair of blowout wins over Evergreen State. Senior guard Akok Machar continued to lead the Seawolves in scoring for the second week in a row, with 16 points in the first game and 19 in the second. “I think we made some nice improvements from yesterday, especially defensively as the game wore on,” head coach Rusty Osborne said in a statement. “It was also nice to get some quality minutes for some of our bench players, which instills confidence in our depth.” The Matt Thune era for UAA women’s basketball couldn’t have gotten off to a better start with a pair of blowout wins over Northwest University over the weekend. Powering the Seawolves to victory in each contest were former Alaska high school stars. Wasilla’s Mylee Anderson got it going Friday night in her collegiate debut when the freshman point guard tied for the team lead in scoring with 23, including going 4-of-9 from behind the arc, and led the team with six assists. King Cove’s Elaina Mack accounted for nearly half of the Seawolves’ offensive output on Saturday with 41 points, reflecting a historic shooting performance in which she drained 10-of-16 3-pointers. In doing so, she tied a program record for most shots from long distance and points in a single game, and she broke the program record for most makes from behind the arc as well. The prolific performance earned her GNAC Player of the Week honors. “We played far better defensively, and Elaina really got us going offensively with some big early baskets,” Thune said in a statement. “Elaina is the heart and soul of our program and has taken a huge leadership role, so it’s extremely gratifying to see her have such a special night.” The UAA cross country running team had a strong showing at the NCAA West Region Championships on Saturday with senior John Peckham and junior Ty Elliott finishing fourth and fifth in the men’s division. Peckham clocked in at 29:36 and Elliott at 29:38, earning all-region honors and helping the team punch their tickets to the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships in two weeks. “If you had told me these men were to do this back in June, I would not have believed you,” associate head coach Chas Davis said in a statement. “But John Peckham and the rest of our leadership believed … and gradually pulled me on that hype train as the season progressed. Goes to show what a difference leadership and culture make, and these men found a way.” [UAA’s John Peckham is peaking at the right time heading into cross country regionals] The Anchorage Wolverines were back at home this week and hosted the Springfield Jr. Blues for a three-game series. They won Friday and Sunday’s matchups but fell in Saturday’s game 6-4 after jumping out to an early two-goal lead. Leading the team goals across the series was forward Luc Bydal, with three to increase his team-leading total for the season to 14. “It was nice to win another series this weekend,” head coach Mike Aikens said. “We have gotten 11 out of a possible 14 points the last three weekends, so we are making progress. It was disappointing to loose Saturday giving up a two-goal lead, especially when analytics wise we dominated in almost every aspect of the game. We are going to need a good week of preparation to get ready to face a red-hot Wisconsin Windigo team this weekend.” Alaska stars shining Outside Anchorage’s Daishen Nix opened the 2025-26 NBA G-League season with a bang as he scored a career-high 45 points for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in a narrow 116-114 loss to the Oklahoma City Blue on Friday. He went 6-of-12 from behind the arc, shot 54% from the field overall, and recorded five rebounds and a team-leading eight assists. Anchorage’s Brandon Pili made his first career start in the Seattle Seahawks’ 44-22 victory over NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals in Week 10 of the NFL season. The former Dimond star didn’t log a tackle on 18 defensive snaps, his second-most of the season, but he still made his presence felt as a run defender. His best play came on a goal-line stand that led to a turnover on downs after he made the initial contact, which allowed one of his teammates to come finish the stop and get the ball back to the offense. Anchorage’s Jeremy Swayman picked up his fifth and sixth wins of the season between the pipes for the Boston Bruins last week with a pair of performances on the road. In a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders last Tuesday, he made 30 saves on 33 shots. The former South standout followed it up by doing the same in a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. “It doesn’t matter who is in the lineup, who we’re playing against, we just know that everyone is going to do their job to a T and it’s been successful for us,” Swayman said after Saturday’s win. Anchorage’s Brayden Maldonado had a pair of double-digit scoring performances for the Seattle University men’s basketball team last week. In an 84-73 win over Denver last Monday, the former East standout dropped a career-high 28 points and followed it up with a 17 points in a narrow 73-71 loss to Cal Poly. Palmer’s Patrick McMahon also recorded a career-high in scoring and reached double figures in a pair of games this past week but for the Montana State University men’s basketball team. In a 84-78 loss to the University of Colorado, Boulder last Monday, the former Colony standout led the Bobcats with 24 points after going 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Anchorage’s Sayvia Sellers picked up where she left off for the University of Washington women’s basketball team and opened the season with a potent scoring performance. The former Anchorage Christian star led the Huskies with 21 points in a 90-43 win over Seattle University last Monday. She also led the team with six assists and four steals. Anchorage’s Mikayla Johnson had a couple of double-digit scoring performances for the University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball team to open the 2025-26 season. The former Bartlett standout recorded 19 points in a 68-60 loss to Drexel and 13 points in a 66-52 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Wasilla’s Layla Hays recorded a career-high scoring in her second game for the University of Iowa women’s basketball team, during a 119-43 blowout win over Evansville on Sunday. The former Wasilla star led the Hawkeyes with 20 points and recorded five rebounds. Anchorage’s Alani Makihele helped the University of Nevada, Las Vegas football team snap a two-game losing skid in a 42-10 win over Colorado State University on Saturday. The former star offensive lineman for West led the blocking effort from his guard spot that paved the way for a ninth straight outing of 30-plus points and a season-high 320 rushing yards. Anchorage’s Raythan Robbins made his fifth start of the season as the goalie for the Bemidji State University men’s hockey team Friday and picked up his third win. The former Anchorage Wolverine helped lead the Beavers to a 4-1 win over Lake Superior State by making 10 saves on 11 shots on goal. Anchorage’s Mac Swanson recorded his fourth goal of the season for the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team in a 7-2 win over the University of Nebraska Omaha last Friday. After each team scored in the first quarter, he broke the tie by finding the back of the net and the Fighting Hawks didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the way. Anchorage’s Fafo Lefano recorded his fourth interception of the 2025 season for the Valley City State University football team in a 13-7 win over Montana State University-Northern this past Saturday. The freshman defensive back and former South standout came up with the clutch turnover in the fourth quarter and returned it 45 yards, but an illegal block penalty by one of his teammates wiped off 33 yards from the return. Kenai’s Jayna Boonstra is headed to NAIA nationals after recently placing 12th in the Frontier Conference Championships. The Carroll College junior covered the 6-kilometer course in Billings, Montana, in a personal-best time of 23 minutes, 10.5 seconds. Anchorage’s Landon Drumm helped lead the Arapahoe High School varsity football to a 58-42 victory over Westminster. The former South star wideout recorded a team-leading four catches for 76 receiving yards, with an acrobatic leaping touchdown in the back of the end zone. Fast Forward Prep Volleyball ASAA 3A/4A State Championship tournament, Thursday-Saturday at Alaska Airlines Center The 2025 postseason will officially come to a close this weekend for the state’s top two divisions, with the strongest teams in Alaska descending on Anchorage to face off for the first or final time. Hockey South vs. Chugiak at Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Wolverines and Mustangs will put their undefeated records on the line when they face off for the first time this season for an early-week CIC clash. College Men’s basketball UAA vs. Chaminade at the Alaska Airlines Center, Sunday at 4:30 p.m. The Seawolves will be staying in their home building this week to host the first two games of the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge. They will play the second on their home court against the Silverswords after playing Hawaii Pacific the night before in the auxiliary gym at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Last week’s results High school Swimming State Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday At Bartlett High School pool Team scores Girls 1. Eagle River High School, 131. 2 Juneau-Douglas High School, 116. 3. Dimond High, 47. Boys 1. West Valley High School, 69. 2. Colony High School, 63. 3. Ketchikan High School, 62. Individual Girls 200-yard medley relay 1. Juneau-Douglas High School (Valerie Peimann, Kennedy Miller, Amy Liddle, Lily Francis), 1:46.03; * NEW STATE RECORD (previous record 1:46.75, Juneau-Douglas, 2014) 2. Eagle River High School, 1:46.40; 3. West Valley High School, 1:51.44. Boys 200-yard medley relay 1. West Valley High School (Quenton Rodgers, Cedar Robichaud, Zen Schaetzle, Haoran Zhang), 1:35.44; 2. Juneau-Douglas High School, 1:38.68; 3. Dimond High School, 1:39.15. Girls 200-yard freestyle 1. Trembath, Lelaina, Eagle River, 1:54.68; 2. Trembath, Sophia, Eagle River, 1:56.06; 3. Price, Abigail, Kenai, 1:56.36. Boys 200-yard freestyle 1. Fazio, Blake, Chugiak, 1:39.44 * NEW STATE RECORD (previous record 1:39.78, Talon Lindquist, Kodiak, 2016); 2. Hubert, Cody, Kodiak, 1:42.20; 3. Tow, Logan, Petersburg, 1:43.48. Girls 200-yard IM 1. Woodward, Reese, Eagle River, 2:06.02; 2. Liddle, Amy, Juneau-Douglas, 2:06.43; 3. Heaphy, Anna, Eagle River, 2:12.39. Boys 200-yard IM 1. Shockley, Nate, Eagle River, 1:58.24; 2. Harold, Gavin, Ketchikan, 1:59.98; 3. Martens, Zach, Sitka, 2:00.45. Jerzey Lane, of Colony High, and the rest of the field compete in the girls 50-yard freestyle during the Alaska State Swimming and Diving finals at Bartlett High School in Anchorage on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Bob Hallinen Photo) Girls 50-yard freestyle 1. Francis, Lily, Juneau-Douglas, 24.31; 2. Kass, Maizy, Dimond, 24.47; 3. Gust, Keira, Eagle River, 24.70. Boys 50-yard freestyle 1. Kopp, Clint, Dimond, 20.58; 2. Schaetzle, Zen, West Valley, 21.05; 3. Gates, Iver, Colony, 21.30. Girls 1-meter diving 1. Denmon, Kensley, Service, 458.25; 2. Wallstrum, Claire, Colony, 455.10; 3. Krozel, Lyza, Colony, 418.20. Boys 1-meter diving 1. Williams, Reubin, Service, 445.35; 2. Woodward, Liam, Ketchikan, 420.30; 3. Gose, Colter, Wasilla, 380.35. Girls 100-yard butterfly 1. Woodward, Reese, Eagle River, 55.74; 2. Liddle, Amy, Juneau-Douglas, 57.07; 3. Benner, Kylie, Palmer, 58.69. Boys 100-yard butterfly 1. Fazio, Blake, Chugiak, 49.79; 2. Schaetzle, Zen, West Valley, 49.93; 3. Kopp, Clint, Dimond, 50.46. Girls 100-yard freestyle 1. Peimann, Valerie, Juneau-Douglas, 52.26; 2. Trembath, Sophia, Eagle River, 53.23; 3. Francis, Lily, Juneau-Douglas, 54.17. Boys 100-yard freestyle 1. Tow, Logan, Petersburg, 46.54; 2. LaBoucane, Beck, Colony, 47.10; 3. Gates, Iver, Colony, 47.35. Girls 500-yard freestyle 1. Trembath, Lelaina, Eagle River, 5:05.50; 2. Cooper, Hannah, Colony, 5:15.87; 3. Rumph, Caitlyn, Eagle River, 5:19.91. Boys 500-yard freestyle 1. Hubert, Cody, Kodiak, 4:40.90; 2. Shockley, Nate, Eagle River, 4:50.13; 3. Martens, Zach, Sitka, 4:52.17. Girls 200-yard freestyle relay 1. Eagle River High School (Reese Woodward, Keira Gust, Anna Heaphy, Sophia Trembath), 1:37.51; 2. South Anchorage High School, 1:40.85; 3. Dimond High School, 1:41.24. Boys 200-yard freestyle relay 1. Dimond High School (Clint Kopp, Creed Cvancara, Andy Zhang, Dax O’Brien), 1:27.08; 2. West Valley High School, 1:27.70; 3. Colony High School, 1:27.88. Girls 100-yard backstroke 1. Gust, Keira, Eagle River, 58.43; 2. Fleming, Taryn, Sitka, 59.36; 3. Cooper, Hannah, Colony, 59.40. Boys 100-yard backstroke 1. LaBoucane, Beck, Colony, 52.55; 2. Kiessling, Liam, Juneau-Douglas, 53.20; 3. Rodgers, Quenton, West Valley, 54.65. Girls 100-yard breaststroke 1. Peimann, Valerie, Juneau-Douglas, 1:04.85; 2. Brooks, Anna, Service, 1:06.06; 3. Tow, Lexie, Petersburg, 1:07.33. Boys 100-yard breaststroke 1. Dash, Evan, Ketchikan, 59.30; 2. Fencil, Griffin, South Anchorage, 1:00.44; 3. Robichaud, Cedar, West Valley, 1:00.99. Girls 400-yard freestyle relay 1. Juneau-Douglas High School (Amy Liddle, Lily Francis, Kaelyn Szefler, Valerie Peimann), 3:35.63; 2. Eagle River High School, 3:41.58; 3. Robert Service High School, 3:46.85. Boys 400-yard freestyle relay 1. Sitka High School (Tommy McCarthy, James Nellis, Zach Martens, Corin Colliver), 3:12.86; 2. Ketchikan High School, 3:14.48; 3. Colony High School, 3:15.31. Hockey Tuesday North Pole 10, Tri-Valley 1 West 7, Eagle River 1 Wednesday Chugiak 7, Bartlett 3 South 11, Service 4 Thursday Houston 3, Eagle River 2 Wasilla 7, Delta 2 Colony 6, Kenai Central 3 North Pole 6, Palmer 0 West Valley 3, Soldotna 1 Palmer 6, Lathrop 2 Friday Delta 4, Kenai Central 4 Soldotna 5, Houston 3 North Pole 2, Wasilla 1 West Valley 1, Palmer 0 Chugiak 3, Dimond 1 Saturday Kodiak 5, Delta 1 North Pole 7, Colony 0 West Valley 5, Houston 2 Volleyball Tuesday Service 3, East 1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-22, 25-10) Chugiak 3, Eagle River 0 (25-17, 25-22, 27-25) South 3, West 0 (25-13, 25-3, 25-5) Dimond 3, Bartlett 0 (25-6, 25-14, 25-17) Susitna Valley 3, Lumen Christi 0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-10) Wednesday Sitka 3, Mt. Edgecumbe 1 (23-25, 28-26, 28-26, 25-12) East 3, West 1 (25-20, 25-25, 17-25, 25-22) Thursday Wrangell 2, Haines 0 (25-17, 25-23) Homer 3, Mountain City Christian 2 (20-25,18-25, 25-20, 25-14,15-13) Wrangell 2, Hoonah 0 Cordova 3, Ninilchik 0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-17) Nikiski 3, Redington 0 (25-7, 25-10, 25-11) Cordova 3, Cook Inlet Academy 2 (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 20-25, 15-12) South 3, Service 0 Lathrop 3, West Valley 1 (25-14, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18) Nikiski 3, Homer 1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-14) Sitka 3, Mt. Edgecumbe 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-22) Chugiak 3, Dimond 1 (25-16, 25-21, 16-25, 25-23) Wrangell 2, Petersburg 0 (25-19, 25-22) Hoonah 2, Craig 0 Friday Skagway 2, Petersburg 0 Wrangell 2, Metlakatla 0 Petersburg 2, Craig 0 Mountain City Christian 3, Redington 0 Homer 3, Grace Christian 0 Wrangell 2, Skagway 0 Nome-Beltz 3, Kotzebue 0 Akula Elitnaurvik 2, Ket’acik and Aapalluk Memorial 0 Tanalian 2, Kalskag 0 Sand Point 3, King Cove 0 Seward 3, Mountain City Christian 1 Dimond 3, East 1 Wrangell 2, Klawock 0 Nunamiut 2, Nuiqsut Trapper 0 Nelson Island 2, Ket’acik and Aapalluk Memorial 0 Petersburg 2, Haines 0 Nunamiut 2, Harold Kaveolook 0 Sand Point 3, King Cove 0 Juneau-Douglas 3, Ketchikan 0 Cook Inlet Academy 2, Cordova 0 Harold Kaveolook 2, Nuiqsut Trapper 0 Shishmaref 3, Aniguiin 0 White Mountain 3 Anthony Andrews 0 Homer 3, Seward 1 Barrow 3, Nome-Beltz 2 Wrangell 2, Craig 0 Nunamiut 3, Harold Kaveolook 0 Akiuk Memorial 2, Ket’acik and Aapalluk Memorial 0 Nunamiut 3, Nuiqsut Trapper 0 Harold Kaveolook 3, Nuiqsut Trapper 1 Metlakatla 2, Hoonah 1 Aniak 2, Kalskag 1 James C Isabell 3, Anthony Andrews 0 Hoonah 2, Klawock 0 Saturday Petersburg 2, Metlakatla 0 Nuiqsut Trapper 3, Harold Kaveolook 0 Cook Inlet Academy 2, Ninilchik 0 Kenai Central 3, Homer 0 Hoonah 2, Skagway 1 Ket’acik and Aapalluk Memorial 2, Kongiganak 0 Nunamiut 3, Harold Kaveolook 0 Petersburg 2, Klawock 0 Nunamiut 3, Nuiqsut Trapper 0 Kalskag 2, Tuluksak 1 White Mountain 3, James C Isabell 0 Shishmaref 3, Brevig Mission 0 Hoonah 2, Petersburg 1 Nunamiut 2, Harold Kaveolook 0 White Mountain 3, Anthony Andrews 0 Juneau-Douglas 3, Ketchikan 0 Shishmaref 3, Aniguiin 0 Nunamiut 2, Nuiqsut Trapper 0 Nuiqsut Trapper 2, Harold Kaveolook 0 Hoonah 2, Haines 1 Nunamiut 2, Nuiqsut Trapper 0 College Volleyball Thursday UAA 3, Simon Fraser 2 (19-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-13) Western Washington 3, UAF 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-20) Saturday UAF 3 Simon Fraser 1 (25-18, 25-17, 20-25, 25-16) UAA 3, Western Washington 1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 34-32) Hockey Tuesday UAF 2, Quinnipiac 2 (OT) Saturday UAF 1, Simon Fraser 1 (OT) Women’s basketball Friday UAA 107, Northwest 82 Saturday UAA 100, Northwest 57 Men’s basketball Wednesday UAA 92, Pacific Union College 59 Thursday UAA 110, Pacific Union College 70 Friday UAA 85, Evergreen State 58 Saturday UAA 80, Evergreen State 48 NAHL Friday Anchorage Wolverines 5, Springfield Jr. Blues 3 Saturday Springfield Jr. Blues 6, Anchorage Wolverines 4 Sunday Anchorage Wolverines 4, Springfield Jr. Blues 3
