Sports

When Unalaska’s basketball teams returned from a long, demanding week of competition, they were met at the airport by Mayor Frank Kelty. 

Kelty recognized the Raiders boys’ team for winning two consecutive tournaments, the Rally of the Regions in Anchorage in December and the Cordova Invitational Tournament in January. Carter Price earned special honors as the most valuable player in both tournaments.  

The Unalaska Raider Basketball teams played in their first games of the season last week. The teams traveled to Anchorage where they competed in the Rally the Regions tournament, which is a gathering of rural basketball teams from around the state. Rally the Regions is a four game tournament with the first three games being a “Round Robin” style and the last game being for the championship or other places.

Unalaska’s wrestling team wrapped up the season at the state championships this weekend, but Coach Brian Whittern says the weekend didn’t go as they hoped.

“There were lots of close losses," Whittern said. "Lots of disappointing losses. Lots of heartbreak for the kids. It just didn’t go the way we hoped.”

N.J. Seman was the lone member of the team to place in the tournament. He took 5th in his weight class.

Whittern says even though that’s not the result Seman was looking for, placing at state is a big achievement.

Six students from Unalaska are competing at the wrestling state championship this weekend.

Coach Brian Whittern is in his first season as head coach. Last year, five kids went to the state championship. Since then he says there have been some changes in how you qualify, which makes it harder for Unalaska's squad.

Unalaska ha​sn't sent a swimmer to the state competition in more than a decade, but that drought is about to end.

Freshman Adam Nguyen is competing in two events at the championship in Juneau this weekend. 

He qualified for the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke at the regional meet last month, but he said it wasn't an easy task.

"If you don't get first at regions, you have to be in the top 16 in the entire state of Alaska," said Nguyen. "I placed fourteenth."

He also set a new personal best in backstroke and nearly broke his own freestyle record.