Class act: Coupeville female senior athletes among school’s best ever

When Coupeville first entered the Olympic League in the fall of 2014, the class of 2018 first entered the halls of the high school.

Since joining the Olympic League, the Wolves have been the dominating force in female athletics, and no matter how one dissects the equation, the common denominator for that success is the Wolves’ current senior class of athletes.

That group is challenging the class of 2005 as the most successful athletic class in the nearly 40 years of Coupeville High School girls sports.

During the class of 2005’s four-year career, it helped Coupeville win nine league titles along with placing third in the state softball and tennis tournaments, and sixth and eighth twice in state basketball.

Continued success

Now, the class of 2018 is building its own legacy.

This year’s seniors contributed to Coupeville winning three consecutive basketball and tennis league championships; in fact, the Wolves have not lost a conference contest in either sport since joining the Olympic League.

Coupeville won the last two volleyball titles, including winning every set in every conference match this fall.

Last spring, the Wolves were the sub-district track champions, which is basically the 1A league championship.

In soccer, Coupeville has placed second to powerhouse Klahowya all four years but has put together the four highest single-season win totals in school history.

The softball team produced 19 wins last season, the second most ever for the Wolves and missed qualifying for the state tournament by one run. With seven returning starters, Coupeville will be the favorite to win the conference crown.

“Everyone in our class is committed to giving 100 percent heart and soul,” senior Mikayla Elfrank said.

Classmate Lauren Rose agreed that commitment is the key, and said such dedication has led to commitment in other areas of their lives, such as academics.

She noted that many of the athletes are among the leaders on the class’s grade-point-average list.

“We are all competitive,” senior Payton Aparicio said. “Whether it is sports or grades, we all push each other.”

The success of each season resets the bar on how hard they are willing to work, Rose said, and spurs the Wolves to even greater achievements.

“And the fact that our class is really close, helps,” she added.

All for one

“The majority of our class plays sports,” Hope Lodell said, which leads to classmates showing support for each other.

Not only are the other athletes supportive, she added, but so are most of the students, the staff and the community.

Volleyball coach Cory Whitmore said the seniors’ “dedication to an ideal that Coupeville could be one of the premier athletic schools in the state has been inspiring, and their perpetually positive attitudes, paired with their hard-working spirit, has made coaching them an absolute treat.

“This group has not only been incredibly close with each other, but also very inclusive to their underclassmen, creating a culture that will last past their graduation,” he added.

Softball coach Kevin McGranahan echoed those thoughts: “They have mentored the younger classes and will leave the teams in good hands for years to come.”

McGranahan, who has worked with many of the seniors since they were in middle school, said the athletes “came into high school with big expectations placed on them and they have lived up to them in every way.”

McGranahan joked that he would like to say that the class’s success is the product of great coaching, but “these young ladies have grown up together and they know what the other is thinking and know that they have each other’s back. In short, this class has made the coaches look good, and they play for each other more than any other class I have seen.”

Individual honors

Not only have the seniors helped Coupeville gather a bushel of team honors, but the athletes have hauled in plenty of individual awards.

The most decorated is the five-star general of the class, Katrina McGranahan, Kevin’s daughter.

Katrina, a three-year letterman in volleyball and softball, was the Olympic League’s Most Valuable Player in both volleyball and softball last school year, was first-team, all-conference as a sophomore in volleyball and as a freshman and sophomore in softball.

Rose was a three-time, first-team choice in softball and an honorable mention selection in volleyball. In addition, she has earned four varsity letters in volleyball and two in basketball.

Lodell has three varsity letters in softball and volleyball, two all-league first-team selections in softball and one in volleyball. She also holds the school record for volleyball aces in a season and career.

Sage Renninger and Payton Aparicio, three-year letter winners in tennis, are two-time defending Olympic League champions in doubles. Renninger is a four-year starter in soccer and earned first-team honors in 2016.

Aparicio also has three volleyball letters and has been this year’s most consistent all-around player, regularly finishing among the team leaders in kills, aces and digs each match.

Elfrank, who moved to Coupeville in time for her sophomore season in softball, has lettered in every season of softball, volleyball and basketball since. She was all-league in softball last spring and honorable mention in basketball.

Lauren Bayne, a three-year letter winner in soccer and track, finished 13th in the high jump at the state track meet last spring.

Mia Littlejohn, who transferred from Coupeville this year, was a three-year letter winner in basketball and soccer, and earned the conference’s MVP award in soccer last year while scoring a school record 27 goals. She was also a first-team selection in soccer as a sophomore and as sophomore and junior in basketball.

And more…

Some other contributors from the class are multi-letter winners Kyla Briscoe, volleyball (3 varsity letters), basketball (2) and softball (2); Allison Wenzel, volleyball (1), basketball (2) and track (2); Mackenzie Meyer, soccer (2), tennis (1) and track (2); Abby Parker, track (3); Maggie Crimmins, tennis (2); Kameryn St. Onge, tennis (2); and Kayla Rose, manager supreme.

With the 2017 Olympic League fall awards yet to be announced and the winter and spring seasons coming up, it is time to clear out extra space in the trophy case —— the class of 2018 has more work to do.

Senior Sage Renninger is a two-time league champion in tennis doubles with Payton Aparicio and a first-team, all-league selection in soccer. (Photo by John Fisken)