Sports

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.

Five new school records and six swimmers having personal best times in their individual events made the trip to Palmer, Alaska a good one for the Unalaska swim team.  The Raiders traveled with eight swimmers to the Palmer Invitational at the Palmer High School Pool October 13th through 15th.  The Invite is thought to be largest high school swim meet and diving competition in the state with over 300 participants from 17 schools. 

The Unalaska Raiders had another strong showing for the second week in a row this past weekend at the ACS Class Invite on Friday and the Palmer Invitational on Saturday. The Raiders got some more valuable experience for a very young team. The ACS Class invite is a 3K flight race that is run according to what grade each runner is in. That race is always a fun one to watch and gets the athletes a little bit of experience before the big race in Palmer.