Upon graduating from Oak Harbor and Coupeville high schools, a number of Wildcats and Wolves are continuing their athletic careers on the collegiate stage. Following is an update of their accomplishments for this past winter season.

Swimming

Cole Weinstein, a junior on the Whitman College swim team, earned first-team, all-Northwest Conference honors twice this season by winning the 500-yard freestyle (4:35.99) and being on the victorious 800 free relay team (4:01.01) at the league championship meet Feb. 12-14 in Federal Way.

The Coupeville graduate earned second-team honors for taking second in the 400 individual medley, and he also placed fourth in the 1,650 free.

Weinstein’s efforts helped Whitman finish second to Whitworth in the team standings at the Northwest Conference championships.

Weinstein received the conference’s Student-Athlete of the Week Award Jan. 18.

He owns Whitman’s second-best times ever in the 500 free (4:36.43), 1,000 free (9:51.18) and 1,650 free (16:16.97).

Oak Harbor’s Ciera Hu, a senior at the University of Chicago, posted four top-10 finishes in the eight-team University Athletic Association Championships Feb. 17-20.

The two-time team co-captain was fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.25), sixth in the 200 butterfly (2:06.88), seventh in the 400 IM (4:32.68) and 10th in the 800 freestyle relay (7:42.83).

During the regular season, Hu collected seven firsts in individual events, including  winning the 400 IM (4:31.6) at the eight-team Phoenix Fall Classic in November.

Josh Jepsen, a junior at the Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, N.Y.) from Oak Harbor, led the Mariners to their ninth straight Landmark Conference championship with four top-four finishes in the seven-team league meet Feb. 12-14 in Germantown, Maryland.

He finished third in the 200 butterfly (1:56.34) and fourth in the 200 IM (1:56.52) and 400 IM (4:13.95). Jepsen also swam on the second-place 800 freestyle relay (7:01.18).

The USMMA, a Division III school, competed in the 16-team Metropolitan College Championships in New Jersey Feb. 19-21 and placed fifth in the tournament that also included D-I and D-II schools. Jepsen finished fifth the 200-free relay. He also finished in the top 25 in three individual events, topped by a 13th in the 200 fly (1:57.27).

Indoor Track/Running

Coupeville brothers Kyle and Tyler King are still on the run.

Tyler King is a fifth-year senior at the University of Washington. He has completed his eligibility in indoor track but ran one race unattached this winter, covering 3,000 meters in 8:17, just 10 seconds off his career best.

Kyle King, who ran collegiately for Eastern Washington University and the University of Oklahoma, now competes for the U.S. Marine Corps Running team.

He took part in the United States Track Association Cross Country Nationals Feb. 6 in Bend, Ore., and finished second on the team to help the Marines place third in the armed services competition.

Kyle King had trained only a month before the race, according to his father, Randy King.

If Kyle King’s military duties allow, he will travel to England to face the Royal Marines in June.

He trains after work and “has been working diligently to fulfill his obligations as a Field Services Officer for the Artillery,” Randy King said.

Because of injury and illness, Alex Laiblin, a sophomore at Western Washington University, competed in only one meet this indoor season. The Oak Harbor grad finished 44th in the 3,000 meters (10:44.68) at the University of Washington Open Feb. 14.

Oak Harbor’s Jonalynn Horn, at freshman at Idaho State University, placed fourth in the 5,000 meters (19:50.74) at Weber State in Ogden, Utah, Jan. 30, for her best finish of the winter.

At the Mountain State Games in Pocatello, Horn was fifth in the 3,000 (11:14.83) and 10th in the 5,000 (19:04.34).

Wrestling

Senior Bailey Martinez, who wrestles for Pacific University (Forest Grove, Ore.), missed All-American status by one spot this winter. At the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships in Oklahoma City Feb. 14, 10th-ranked Bailey tied third-ranked Olivia Seppinni of McKendree 4-4 but lost the match on criteria. (Seppinni was declared the winner because she was the last to score in the match). Had Martinez won, she would have earned All-American status for the second consecutive year.

At the national championship meet, Martinez (143 pounds) lost her first match and then won three straight before meeting Seppinni.

Martinez, an Oak Harbor grad, finished the year with a 14-7 record.

The Vester brothers from Oak Harbor, Jahleel and Jeremy, wrestle for Central College (Pella, Iowa).

Jahleel (141), a sophomore, posted a 14-14 record, while Jeremy (157), a freshman, was 12-7.

Jahleel finished second at the Platteville Invitational (Wisconsin), third at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational and sixth at the Auggie-Adidas Open in Minneapolis (gold division).

Jeremy won the Jim Fox Open (Dubuque, Iowa) and placed fifth at both the Platteville Invitational and Auggie-Adidas Open (bronze division).

Oak Harbor graduate Jackson Constant is red-shirting this season for the Bacone College (Muskogee, Okla.) wrestling team.

Basketball

Coupeville’s Monica Vidoni plays basketball for Rainy River Community College (International Falls, Minn.). The freshman appeared in 19 games and registered 16 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks and two steals for the 15-11 Voyageurs.

“Monica is a real success story,” coach Dieter Humbert said. “Monica has excelled academically as she earned a 3.1 GPA for fall semester.”

Humbert noted that Vidoni helped the both the volleyball and basketball teams qualify for the regional tournament, and she plans to play softball in the spring.

“We are impressed with her dedication as a three-sport athlete,” Humbert added.

Oak Harbor’s Michael Washington Jr., the lone senior on Princeton University’s basketball team, was honored at a ceremony before the Cornell game Saturday, Feb. 27, and earned his first career start that evening.

Washington appeared in 17 games and scored 15 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists for the Tigers (22-6, 12-2), who will play in the National Invitational Tournament Wednesday, March 16, at Virginia Tech.

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From the top:

Ciara Hu; photo courtesy of University of Chicago Athletics. Jahleel Vester; photo by Dan Vander Beek. Jeremy Vester; photo by Dan Vander Beek. Josh Jepsen; photo courtesy of USMMA Athletics. Monica Vidoni; photo courtesy of RRCC Athletics. Bailey Martinez; photo by Blake Timm; Cole Weinstein; photo by John Froschauer.