Thanks for your support for another great school year of Ballard Athletics!

Please join us at our Annual Board Meeting, from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, June 9 via Zoom. All are welcome! The meeting link will be available at ballardathletics.com later this weekend! Learn more and meet next year's proposed slate of officers below our exciting Spring Sports Recap!

New Athletics Coaching Hires

We're delighted to introduce some new program leaders to our school community, Coaches Taryn Brandel (Girls Soccer), Alicia Edgerly (Cheer), Ani Garaventa (Girls Basketball), and Carlos Shay (Boys Basketball). While we look forward to learning more about Coaches Edgerly and Garaventa soon, here's a quick introduction to Coaches Brandel and Shay.

Gymnasts Participate in National Senior Showcase Invitational

Gymnastics was proudly represented by five athletes at the Senior Showcase Invitational in Florida this May, competing as part of Team Washington. Seniors Brooke Adkins, Caitlyn Adkins, Viviana Corsini, Dylan Kelly, and Claire Spinosa closed out their high school gymnastics careers on a high note — sharing one final meet together full of joy. Head Coach Stephanie Gundel also served as one of Team Washington’s coaches at the event.

Highlights: 

• Brooke Adkins debuted a new skill on beam—four years in the making—and advanced to beam finals, one of only two athletes from Team Washington to reach an event final.
• Dylan Kelly earned the Sportsmanship Award for Team Washington, recognized for her spirit and team-first attitude.
• Viviana Corsini hit her aerial on beam in her final routine, her #1 goal heading into the meet.
• Claire Spinosa delivered her best vault of the season, capping off her great high school career.
• Caitlyn Adkins added new skills to her beam routine and hit one of her best routines on bars of the season, showing continued growth even in her final meet.

The five served as leaders for Team Washington, bringing energy, positivity, and a fun spirit to the entire group—proudly representing Ballard. The meet was a special sendoff for our talented seniors, celebrating the end of a remarkable journey together. Follow the gymnastics program @ballardgymnastics.

Last Chance Beaver Gear Slides Promotion

Last chance from the Beaver Gear team! Spend over $35 on BHS logo wear and receive a free pair of Ballard slides. These slides are perfect for the locker room or heading out to the field, courts or track. Sizes are roughly: S (men's size 5-6), M (size 7-8), L (size 9-10), XL (size 11-12). Promotion goes through the end of the school year. Orders are filled quickly and can be picked up at the Main Office. All Beaver Gear sales benefit BHS Athletics! Questions? Email the team at bhsabcgear@gmail.com.

Golfer Lucas Williams Finishes Second at State

Congratulations to Lucas Williams who finished second in the WIAA 3A State Championships May 20-21 at the Creek at Qualchan Golf Course in Spokane.

Along with Williams, the Boys Golf team members participating included Senior Captains Sven Swanson and James Sand, as well as Matt Wesche and Owen Cutting rounding out the team.

"As far as anyone around here can remember, this was the first time a Ballard Boys Golf team had competed in the State Championships!" said Coach Scott Cachopo. "The entire team has pushed each other over these last four years, and their hard work has truly paid off."

Photo c/o and follow the team @ballard.golf.

Summer Auctions, Golf Classic Raise Money for Athletics

Help raise money for your team or program by participating in the Ballard High School Foundation's summer fundraising events:

Celebrating All Things Ballard online auction runs August 1-17, featuring local getaways, golf, eateries, wines, desserts, professional sports tickets, and more, all in support of Ballard Athletics, Performing Arts, Cheer and Dance. Your procured auction item or bidding proceeds for the online auction can benefit your team!

The Salmon Dinner Event and auction is Thursday, August 14 at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard. Enjoy a tour of Ballard's historic shipyard, and a delicious salmon dinner with your ABC friends! There will be a small auction as well, with the always delightful Stephen Kilbreath hosting, to benefit Ballard Athletics, Performing Arts, Cheer and Dance. Procured auction item, auction purchase, and event ticket proceeds at the Salmon Dinner can also be directed to your team!

Victor Salvino 25th Annual Golf Classic at Newcastle on Friday, August 15. Grab your foursome for a great round of golf or help around the tee boxes to raise money for your team!

The Athletic Booster Club is proud to team with the Foundation for these fun summer events and we look forward to seeing you! Check out these summer events to join the fun!

Baseball

Congratulations to Ballard Baseball on a history-setting year, tying for third in the WIAA 3A State Championships.

Coach Doug Montgomery listed many season highlights, including:

• First Metro Championship since 1994
• First Metro MVP (Truitt Madonna) since 2003
• First 20-win season in school history
• First State semifinals appearance in school history

Truitt, who's headed this fall to play for the UCLA Bruins, also took home 1st Team All-Metro Catcher honors. Joining him with 1st Team All-Metro Honors are pitcher Aiden DePaula and infielder Brady Miailovich.

"Varsity (20), JV (13) and JVC (17) combined for 50 wins, which is a program record. The future is bright," Coach Montgomery said.

Photo of the team celebrating their Metro Championship by King Alverson. Follow the team @ballardbaseball.

Track & Field

From Coach Neal Howard: Track & Field hit the postseason running as both the Boys and Girls Teams finished in the top five at both the Metro and District Championship meets. At the District Meet, multiple top three Ballard finishes qualified a school record high 17 students to the Washington State Track and Field Championship Meet!

The State Meet was historically fast on the track, with multiple records set over the three-day meet. The Girls Team placed 15th with the help of Ciana Johnson, who won the 800m run while tying the 3A State Meet record and also placed 3rd in the 1600m run.

The Boys Team finished in 39th place, behind Alex Davis finishing 5th in the 400m dash and Jackson Scott finishing tied for 8th in pole vault. The coaching staff is proud of all the effort and time that students have put in this season and will miss the seniors as they embark on a new journey after graduation.

Follow the team @ballard_trackandfield. Photos from day two of the State Meet by Ed Tanaka. Meet details also available on the team's Athletic.net page.

Softball

From Coach Dale Griffith: On the behalf of the Ballard HS Softball Program we repeated as Metro Champs, and lost the District II Championship game on a controversial out call at home plate.

However, after qualifying for the State Tournament for the fourth consecutive year in a row (new school record), we fell short of our ultimate goal and were eliminated Friday. We graduate only one varsity senior – Colette Howren who will be missed greatly.

Colette's Career Stats:

• 2022 - Rookie of the Year
• 2023 - All Division Pitcher 
• 2024 - Metro League MVP
• 2025 - All Metro Pitcher
• 2025 - Team Captain
• 2x All Metro All Star Selection
• 2024 & 2025 Metro Champ
• 2024 District Champ
• 4x State Qualifier
• 79 – 27 (.745 winning percentage)
• 428 Strikeouts
• 119 Hits
• 84 RBI

We finished the year having received the following Metro League Honors:

• Colette Howren – First Team All-Metro Pitcher
• Wren Wald – First Team All-Metro Outfield
• Grace Shiotani – First Team All-Metro Infield 
• Katie Davis – First Team All-Metro Utility
• Annika Jahn – All Mountain Division Infield
• Brooklyn Morris – All Mountain Division Outfield
• Alexa Hunt – All Mountain Division Utility
• Dale Griffith – Coach of the Year (3x) & Collected 100th career win on May 13, 2025

Metro Championship photo c/o and follow the team @ballardbeaversoftball.

Tennis

From Coach Angel Le: Despite a season of Seattle rain and reschedules, the Ballard Tennis Team showed grit, patience, and true teamwork in a sport often seen as individual. Varsity singles players Mia Aldahondo, Sabi Yoon, Edgar Aldahondo, and Sebastien Calhoun, along with doubles teams Kira Helman/Quinn Alejano, Georgia Preston/Izzy DeLanda, Cole Nguyen/Alton Naumann, and Sean Brine/Holden Fuller, were selected to represent Ballard at Metros.

With his success at this tournament, Edgar Aldahondo advanced to Districts and became a State alternate. JV had the most participants at the All-Comers Tournament, with Declan Darling finishing as a finalist.

We closed the season strong, and Angel Le was named Sound Division Coach of the Year.

Photos c/o Angel Le. Follow the team @ballardhighschooltennis.

Soccer

Led by Coach Clark Murray, the Boys Soccer team competed in the always tough Metro Mountain Division to earn a third year in a row trip to the 3A State Tournament.

This team features a large number of graduating players: Owen Cutting (Defender, Captain); Max Alves (Defender); Theo Court (Defensive Midfielder); Koen Geiss (Wing); Skate Yoder (Center Midfielder); Chance Pattison (Midfielder); Leo Tiritilli (Outside Back); JP Knecht (Striker); Henry Peters (Attacking Midfielder, Captain); and Hadden Muench (Goalkeeper, Captain).

Photo c/o and follow the team @ballardsoccer.

Girls Lacrosse

Girls Lacrosse finished their regular season 9-3 and ranked 18th in the state, and the team made it to regionals for the first time since 2019. While they lost in the Rainier Cup Championships to Mount Si, after taking the first two games at the Bellarmine Prep tournament against LSI and Shoreline, the team recently celebrated their Metro All Conference Team Members:

Goalie Anneke Loggers

Midfielder Ella Heverley

Defender/Midfielder Tess Keenan

Defender Hadley Brewster

Midfielder Maddie Singer

Congratulations to Coach Rachel Moody on the great season and shoutout to the team's senior leaders Nina Ando, Hadley Brewster, Brynn Cziesla, Ella Heverley, Ella McLaughlin, Alexa Seeman, Maddie Singer and Vanda Vacirca. Photos c/o and the team @ballardgirlslacrosse.

Boys Lacrosse

Boys Lacrosse wrapped up another great season, with the largest number of athletes ever across the Varsity and JV teams! Varsity finished with a strong 11–6 record, #14 state ranking, #4 in 3A Metro. For the second consecutive year, they advanced to the 3A state semifinals.

Ballard is proud to recognize these student-athletes for their All-Conference honors:

1st Team All-Metro: Owen Willis (C), Davis Brewster (C), Aiden Gray (C)

2nd Team All-Metro: Sam Frech, Grant Nordfors

Honorable Mention: Parker Milesi

This season also marks eight graduating seniors, many of whom have left a lasting legacy both on and off the field:

Cris Lewis – Beloit College (D3 Lacrosse)

Davis Brewster – Ohio Wesleyan (D3 Lacrosse), 2x All-Conference

Gabe Mayachar – Seattle Pacific University

Grant Nordfors – Oregon State University, 1x All-Conference

Jonny Sugg – North Seattle College, 1x All-Conference

Owen Willis – Providence College, 3x All-Conference, 2nd all-time leader in school history with 203 points (Goals & Assists) 

Spencer Bos – South Seattle College, 1x All-Conference

Thomas Volosin – Arizona State University

Congratulations to the entire team and thank you to Ballard HS for coming out and for all your support. Go Beavs! Next up is the Summer Solstice Tournament this weekend. 

Summer training starts Monday, June 23. Trainings are at 9 a.m. on Monday and Wednesday.

Thanks to Team Rep Lisa Willis for the update! Photos by Ed Tanaka, including the team's game day tradition (lower right) of the clapping for the fans after the game, win or lose! Follow the team @ballardlacrosse.

Sailing Team

The Sailing Team participated in the NWISA (North West Interscholastic Sailing Association) Fleet Race Championships May 10-11, hosted by the Columbia Gorge Race Association.

The team finished 7th in the regatta, out of 20 entrants, behind the sailing of Henry Thomas and Eloise Hererra in the A Boat and Isadora Ford '27 and Ninon Petitpierre '28 in the B Boat.

Thanks to Team Rep Misti McDowell for assisting with the team recap! Photos c/o and follow the team @ballardhs_sailingteam_

Ultimate Frisbee

Congratulations to BUF Mixed Team for taking the Spirit Champion Disc at the Spring Reign tournament in Burlington, April 26-27. Going 4-1 in the weekend of play, the team finished 5th. The BUF program also recently celebrated their graduating seniors at a year-end party at Carkeek Park. Team webpage.

Photo c/o and follow the program @bufballard.

SUPPORT BALLARD ATHLETICS!

ATTEND OUR ANNUAL BOARD MEETING:

Monday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. Via Zoom

The Ballard High School Athletic Booster Club (ABC) is a volunteer group working together to support, promote, and advocate for all BHS athletes. We are especially interested in promoting school-wide community and helping remove barriers to play.

We meet monthly during the school year, alternating between in-person (in the BHS Staff Lounge) and online via Zoom, and everyone is invited to join us. Zoom meeting link will be available on the ABC website as the date gets closer.

At our June 9 Annual Meeting, we will be presenting and voting on our 2025-26 Officers and Board of Directors. Here's the proposed slate for consideration:

2025-2026 Ballard High School Athletic Booster Club

Officers & Board of Directors

• President: Suzanne Dale Estey
• Vice President: Lisa Vanderford-Anderson
• Treasurer: Alexis Cruikshank
• Secretary: Kim Courtney
• Communications Chair: Gloria Kruzner
• Team Representative Coordinator: Lisa Vanderford-Anderson
• Product Marketing/Beaver Gear Co-Chairs: Erica Jamir & Kajsa Puckett
• Community Outreach Chair: Deborah Frieze
• Grants Coordinator: Kelly Jones
• Website Coordinator: Gloria Kruzner

Questions? Email President Suzanne Dale Estey. Go Beavers!