All-conference honors, school records and team championships were among the many achievements by Oak Harbor and Coupeville high school graduates competing in college athletics this fall season.

Football

Whitworth University football players Ian Kolste and Tyler Adamson, both Oak Harbor graduates, were named to the All-Northwest Conference first team for the second consecutive year.

Kolste, the Pirates’ quarterback, was tabbed the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year; he was the co-MVP in 2016. He was also a second-team, preseason D-III All-American selection.

Kolste led the Northwest Conference in passing yards (2,483), passing touchdowns (26), passing efficiency (149.5), completion percentage (67.8) and total offense (2,515), all while playing in only 25 of 40 quarters.

The senior, who finished with a 26-6 record as the Pirates’ starting QB, holds Whitworth career records in total offense (10,467), passing touchdowns (85), pass completions (946) and pass attempts (1,424).

Adamson, a junior, helped keep Kolste upright as the Pirates’ starting left tackle. Under Adamson’s watch, Whitworth allowed the fewest sacks (1.1 per game) in the conference even though the Pirates threw 66 more passes than any other NWC team.

Kolste’s sophomore brother, Taylor Kolste, also plays for the Pirates and caught five passes for 33 yards.

Coupeville’s Nick Streubel started at left guard for Central Washington University this fall and guided the Wildcats to an 11-1 record and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown. Central’s lone loss was 34-31 in overtime to Texas A&M-Commerce last weekend in the NCAA D-II football playoffs.

Streubel, a sophomore who missed most of last season with an injury, earned first-team, All-GNAC honors this year.

Oak Harbor’s Sam Zook, a freshman at Central, redshirted this season.

Junior Dayne Herron from Oak Harbor is the starting left tackle for the University of New Hampshire (Durham) and helped the Wildcats (8-4) win 14-0 in the first round of the NCAA D-I, Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last weekend. UNH has qualified for the playoffs for 14 consecutive years, the longest streak in the country.

David Ray, a sophomore from Oak Harbor, is a reserve defensive back at Midland University (Fremont, Neb.).

Coupeville’s Zane Bundy is a freshman reserve place kicker for Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.)

Jacob Martin, a Coupeville grad, is a freshman reserve linebacker at Feather River College (Quincy, Calif.).

Mitch Pelroy, a graduate of Coupeville High School and the University of Montana Western, will play in the upcoming season of the Rivals Professional Football League. After an impressive showing at the league’s combine, Pelroy was selected to be placed in the pool of players for the Dec. 2 draft. The eight-team league gives players an opportunity to gain experience and game film to be used to attract an NFL or Canadian Football League team.

Soccer

Oak Harbor grad Caley Powers is a sophomore forward for California Baptist University (Riverside). Powers and CBU, the second-ranked team in D-II, posted a 17-1-2 record, suffering the one loss in the second round of the national playoffs.

Powers appeared in 19 matches for the PacWest champions, scoring four goals, third most for the Lancers. He also tallied two assists. His shooting percentage (.308) led the team and his shots on goal percentage (.538) ranked third.

Oak Harbor graduates Alyssa Cross and Emily Miesle competed for Skagit Valley College this fall. The sophomores helped the Cardinals to a 10-7-3 record (8-4-3 in the North Division, good for third place). SVC lost to Spokane 5-1 in the opening round of the playoffs.

Cross started all 20 matches for the Cardinals and took four shots but did not score. Miesle appeared in 16 matches, starting four, and had two goals and an assist.

Oak Harbor’s Jennifer Turnek played for Boise State University as the Broncos (7–2-2, 13-6-3) qualified for the Mountain West Tournament, winning 2-0 over Air Force in the opening round and then losing to San Diego State 1-0.

Turnek, a freshman, saw action in three matches, logging 30 minutes.

Mary Johnston, a freshman from Oak Harbor, was a member of the University of Maryland (1-8-2, 7-8-3) squad this year.

Johnston played in 13 matches and received one start, picking up an assist.

Cross country

Alexandra Laiblin, a senior at Western Washington University, was named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team for the third time. She is one of only 14 female Vikings to ever earn the honor three times.

The Oak Harbor grad owns a 3.65 GPA in biology.

Laiblin placed 16th, second among WWU runners, at the GNAC championship meet Oct. 21 in Bellingham; the Vikings finished third as a team.

A week later, Laiblin ran 59th and WWU took eighth in the Division II West Region Championships in Monmouth, Ore.

Her highest finish of the season, third place, came in a tri-meet with Central Washington and St. Martin’s Sept. 9.

Volleyball

Three Oak Harbor High School graduates are playing college volleyball, and two, junior Kayleigh Harper at Western Washington University and sophomore Claire Anderson at the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut), redshirted this season.

Redshirt freshman Janae Payne is a reserve for Western, which won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title with a 19-1 record (25-3 overall).

Coaching

Travis Connell, Oak Harbor graduate and head coach of the Western Washington University’s women’s soccer team, and his assistants were named the NCAA D-II West Region Staff of the Year for the second consecutive year. The Vikings, national champions in 2016, reached the West Region finals in four of the past five years and finished this year with a 18-2 record and their third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title.

Connell’s teams are 99-7-7 over the past five season, the second-highest winning percentage in the country among D-II schools.

Oak Harbor graduate Tawnya (Richard) Brewer, the volleyball coach at Burlington-Edison High School, lead the Tigers to a fifth-place finish in the state 2A tournament this season. Under Brewer’s guidance, Burlington-Edison has qualified for 11 consecutive state tournaments and finished first in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Jay DeVries, an Oak Harbor grad, coached the North Kitsap High School boys tennis team to a 12-0 record and the Olympic League championship this fall. It was the Vikings’ third straight undefeated regular season and fifth straight title. North Kitsap placed second in the district tournament this year and qualified three boys for the 2A state tournament.

Jennifer Turnek plays soccer for Boise State University. (Photo by Allison Corona)

Coupeville graduate Nick Streubel was a first-team, All-GNAC guard for Central Washington University. (Photo courtesy of CWU Athletics)

Quarterback Ian Kolstle had a record-setting career at Whitworth University. (Photo courtesy of Whitworth Athletics)

Tyler Adamson, center, earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year for Whitworth University. (Photo courtesy of Whitworth Athletics)

Alex Laiblin, second from right, earned all-academic honors for Western Washington University. (Photo courtesy of WWU Athletics)

Caley Powers (22) was one of the leading scorers for California Baptist this fall. (Photo courtesy of CBU Athletics)