Many local graduates competing at the college level

Oak Harbor and Coupeville high schools have a number of graduates who have continued their careers on the college stage. Here’s a look at how the fall season went for some local athletes.

Oak Harbor and Coupeville high schools have a number of graduates who have continued their careers on the college stage.

Here’s a look at how the fall season went for some local athletes. (All of the statistics are as of Nov. 11.)

Cross Country

Coupeville’s Kyle King of Eastern Washington University recently placed 18th (26:51.7) out of 65 runners at the Big Sky Conference meet. Earlier this year he was honored as the Big Sky Athlete of the Week for his second-place finish in the Clash of the Inland Northwest meet. He also placed second at the Montana Invitational.

The sophomore has a 3.42 grade-point averaged and was named EWU’s scholar-athlete for September.

Oak Harbor’s Megan Hall was the first Northwest Christian College (Eugene) runner ever to break 19 minutes in 5,000 meters when the junior ran a school-record 18:48 this fall. She recently finished 16th in the Cascade Conference meet and helped her school to a best-ever fifth place finish.

Oak Harbor’s Krissy McGill, a sophomore at Everett Community College, was fifth in the Northwest Althletic Association of Community College’s North Region meet in 20:25. She helped her team claim the North championship. Nov. 14 she will compete for Everett at the NWAACC championship meet.

Football

Oak Harbor’s Jake Rouser and Roderick Rumble are teammates at Idaho State University.

Rouser, a redshirt freshman defensive end, recorded nine tackles in the first five games before a knee injury ended his season.

Rumble, a freshman, is a receiver and special teams player. He has five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Earlier this fall the two’s ISU squad squared off against Central Washington University and Oak Harbor’s Bryce Waller, an offensive guard.

Waller’s Central team is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country in the Division II poll.

Oak Harbor’s Marshall Lobbestael started two games at quarterback at Washington State University. The redshirt sophomore has played in seven games and completed 56 of 126 passes for 578 yards and three touchdowns. Last week against Arizona he completed a 64-yard touchdown pass for the Cougars’ only score.

Coupeville’s Casey Larson is the University of Puget Sound’s leading rusher with 481 yards and three touchdowns on 125 carries. The junior’s best game was an 140-yard effort on 28 carries against Whitworth.

Coupeville’s Steven McDonald has recorded nine tackles in six games for Pacific Lutheran University as a sophomore defensive back.

Oak Harbor’s Kyle Isaacson is playing defensive line and tightend for Dakota Wesleyan (Mithcell, S.D.). The senior had a 26-yard reception in DW’s upset win over No. 18 Northwestern College in his last game.

Isaacson also played baseball for Dakota Wesleyan after two years at Kansas’ Highland Junior College.

Oak Harbor’s Mike Bressler is playing sprint football for the United States Naval Academy. In sprint football, no player can weigh more than 172 pounds.

The sophomore center was honorable mention last year and has helped the Middies to an undefeated season this fall.

Rugby

Oak Harbor’s Jake Leete is a starter on the United States Naval Academy’s rugby team. Leete, a junior, has helped the Middies to a 6-1 record and No. 4 national ranking.

Soccer

Coupeville’s Geoff Wacker has started 14 of 19 games for George Fox University (Newberg, Ore.) this fall. The freshman has scored once and assisted on another goal.

Oak Harbor’s Carson McKole was the third-leading scorer on Central Washington University’s women’s soccer team with five goals and an assist. The freshman started two of the Wildcats’ 19 games and appeared in 18. In the Wildcats’ final match, McKole scored two goals in a 3-2 loss to Saint Maritin’s University.

Swimming

Oak Harbor’s Evan Wilson, swimming for Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.), was named Swimmer of the Meet at the Empire 8 Conference championship meet at the end of last season as a sophomore.

At the meet he set three conference meet records while winning the 1,650 freestyle (15:45.38), 500 free (4:33.84), and 400 individual medley (4:01.53).

He holds five individual school records (500 free, 4:32.68; 1,000 free, 9:35.04; 1,650 free, 15:45.38, 200 breaststroke, 2:08.82; 400 IM, 3:58.87) and helped set two relay school records (400 free, 3:08.31; 800 free, 7:00.28).

He has been joined at Stevens this year by Oak Harbor freshman John Hu. Hu was named Empire 8 Swimmer of the Week each of the first two weeks of the season (which began Oct. 17) while winning five events and setting two school records (200 IM, 1:56.75; 200 backstroke, 1:59.4).

Volleyball

Oak Harbor’s Jennifer Muzzall, a senior middle hitter for the University of Great Falls (Montana), is second on the team with blocks (75) and fourth in kills (161). Muzzall has helped her team to a three-way tie for the Frontier Conference title with a 11-3 record, 16-10 overall. Muzzall’s freshman sister, Jessica, is a member of the UGF junior varsity team.

Oak Harbor’s Clair Theil is the leading blocker (72) on the Concordia University (Portland) team. The sophomore middle hitter is fourth in kills (157) and first in hitting percentage (.231).

Oak Harbor’s Jennifer Jansen has helped Northwestern College (Orange City, Iowa) to a 32-2 record and No. 3 national NAIA ranking. The freshman outside hitter is fourth on the team in kills (121) and third in blocks (65). NWC plays for the Great Plains Athletic Conference league tournament title Nov. 14.

Oak Harbor’s Jared Sliger just completed his third year as the head volleyball coach at Northwest Nazarene University (Nampa, Idaho). While attending OHHS in the mid-1980s, Sliger was introduced to volleyball by then Wildcat coach Darlene Brasch.

Brasch, while coaching at Oak Harbor High School from 1978-88, was 257-74 with seven Wesco titles, six district titles and six state appearances. She became the head coach of Northwest Nazarene in 1989, and through 2000 she won 264 matches, captured three league titles, earned four NAIA tournament appearances, and finished second in the country in 1998. She also served as assistant athletic director at NNU.

She was coaxed out of retirement by Sliger to be his current assistant coach at NNU.

Sliger and Brasch are both OHHS and NNU graduates.

Rifle

Oak Harbor’s Thomas Chandler, a junior at the United States Air Force Academy, just started his third season as a varsity shooter. His first two years at the Academy he was named the team’s most valuable marksman. Last year he qualified for the national small bore championships, finished 28th in the country and earned second team all-America honors.

(Editor’s note: I will write updates on winter and spring athletes as their seasons progress. If you know of local athletes who will be competing this winter or spring, or if I missed a fall athlete, email me at jwaller@whidbeynews-times.com so I can include them in future updates.)