Vote now for The News Tribune's Girls Athlete of the Week (April 28 to May 3)
Vote now for The News Tribune's Girls Athlete of the Week for contests played between April 28 and May 3. Voting will remain open until noon Wednesday.
The poll is located below. You can read about all of the candidates and their accomplishments below.
Note: If you are not seeing the poll at the bottom of the story, try opening the story in a different browser, such as Chrome or Safari. Votes emailed will not be counted.
Want to nominate a South Sound high school athlete in the future? Email reporter Jon Manley (jon.manley@thenewstribune.com) or Tyler Wicke (twicke@thenewstribune.com) or send a direct message on Twitter/X (@manley_tnt or @WickeTyler) with the athlete's first and last name, school, year, position and a stat line from game(s) during the past week. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sunday.
Megan Barrett, Tumwater softball — T-Birds 2B homered in Monday's 14-3 win over W.F. West, going 3-for-3 with a walk and team-high four RBI.
Isabelle Bartlett, Gig Harbor softball — Sophomore threw five one-hit innings in Wednesday's 14-1 win over Mount Tahoma, allowing one unearned run with two walks and four strikeouts.
Gracie Carey, Gig Harbor softball — Senior infielder homered twice in Friday's 17-6 win over Bellarmine Prep, going 3-for-5 with two runs and five RBI.
Laken Elvig, White River softball — Dual-threat freshman hit three home runs at the plate and won three games in the circle this week, amassing 29 strikeouts and two immaculate innings while driving in 12 runners (.571 AVG).
Ella Ferguson, Tumwater softball — Sacramento State signee hit three home runs in pair of wins over W.F. West and Centralia, finishing a combined 5-for-7 with five RBI.
Nadia Flaherty, Enumclaw softball — Hornets pitcher threw five shutout innings (2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) in Friday's 16-0 win over Todd Beamer and went 3-for-4 at the plate with an inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning.
Stevie-Rae Garcia Zamora, Washington softball — Sophomore pitcher threw five strong innings in Thursday's 25-3 win over Clover Park (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) and went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, two walks, and five RBI.
Nevaeh Haagen, Timberline softball — Blazers pitcher tossed three shutout innings (2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and went 4-for-4 with a home run and six RBI in Thursday's 23-0 rout of Capital.
Mia Hammington, Tahoma softball — Leadoff center fielder went 3-for-3 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI in Thursday's 16-0 win over Auburn.
Alyssa Harris, Enumclaw softball — Hornets 1B hit for the cycle in Wednesday's 19-1 win over Kent-Meridian, going 4-for-4 with six RBI.
Mia Heigh, Auburn Mountainview softball — Lions 3B homered in consecutive wins over Todd Beamer and Kentlake, collecting four combined hits.
Austin Hitchner, Yelm softball — Tornados shortstop homered in Tuesday's 36-1 win over Spanaway Lake and went 2-for-4 with two walks and seven RBI.
Paige Jones, Peninsula softball — Shortstop hit an inside-the-park home run in the first inning of Monday's 19-4 win over Lakes, going 3-for-4 with three runs and five RBI.
Jessika Jennings, Graham-Kapowsin softball — Eagles pitcher threw a five-inning no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in Tuesday's 21-0 win over Bethel, and homered at the plate (3-for-4) with a walk, two runs, and six RBI. In Thursday's 19-0 win over Spanaway Lake, tossed five shutout innings (one hit) with 15 strikeouts. Struck out 29 of 33 batters faced in two starts.
Scarlett Mabe, Central Kitsap softball — Cougars 1B went 4-for-4 with a home run, four runs, and five RBI in Wednesday's 17-3 win over Silas.
Natalie Medalia, Silas softball — Rams pitcher struck out five across a five-inning complete game and went 3-for-5 at the plate with five RBI (two doubles, triple) in Friday's 16-5 win over Mount Tahoma.
Riley Meyers, Sumner softball — Spartans right fielder plated team-high five runs in Tuesday's 6-4 win over Rogers with a bases-clearing single and two-run triple, handing the Rams their first loss of the season. Went 3-for-5 in Thursday's 15-3 win over Curtis, finishing a home run shy of the cycle.
Brooklyn Pettit, Graham-Kapowsin softball — Eagles pitcher struck out 10 across 4 ⅔ strong innings and tallied seven RBI at the plate in Monday's 27-2 win over Spanaway Lake, going 3-for-4 with a home run and walk.
Hannah Potter, Auburn Riverside softball — The Ravens catcher launched her South Sound-leading 12th home run of the season in Tuesday's 12-1 win over Kentwood.
Kiley Sledge, Franklin Pierce softball — Sophomore P/INF homered in Tuesday's 9-3 win over Steilacoom and struck out 19 batters across 10 ⅔ combined innings of work this week.
Jaylah Sok-Vandergriff, River Ridge softball — Junior outfielder homered in Wednesday's 9-6 win over Peninsula and finished 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs, and two RBI.
Sarah Stevens, Tumwater softball — T-Birds pitcher hit two home runs (3-for-3, 4 RBI, BB) and threw four solid innings in Wednesday's 17-2 win over Centralia, allowing two earned runs with one walk and two strikeouts.
Leone Suamataia, Kentlake softball — Falcons 1B hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning of Wednesday's 28-12 win over Todd Beamer, going 1-for-2 with a walk, three runs, and four RBI.
Kiera Thomas, Puyallup softball — Senior threw a complete-game shutout with 12 strikeouts in Thursday's 3-0 win over Rogers, adding two hits and three RBI at the plate.
Jozi Thompson, Kentridge softball — Sophomore threw 13 combined shutout innings (3 G) and earned wins over Interlake, Auburn, and Kennedy Catholic last week, allowing five hits with one walk and 34 strikeouts. Thompson struck out 76 percent of batters faced and was a combined 7-for-10 with six RBI.
Joy Wilde, Lincoln softball — The state's leader in batting average (.805) per MaxPreps homered in Wednesday's 20-15 win over Bellarmine Prep, finishing 3-for-3 with four runs and six RBI.
Alanna Wirtala, Emerald Ridge softball — Jaguars right-hander threw a complete-game shutout in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Puyallup, allowing three hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts.
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Vote now for The News Tribune's Boys Athlete of the Week (May 26 to 31)
Vote now for The News Tribune's Athlete of the Week for contests played between May 26-31. Voting will remain open until noon Wednesday. The polls are located below. You can read about all of the candidates and their accomplishments below. Note: If you are not seeing the poll at the bottom of the story, try opening the story in a different browser, such as Chrome or Safari. Votes emailed will not be counted. Want to nominate a South Sound high school athlete in the future? Email reporter Jon Manley ( or Tyler Wicke (twicke@ or send a direct message on Twitter/X (@manley_tnt or @WickeTyler) with the athlete's first and last name, school, year, position and a stat line from game(s) during the past week. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sunday. Nicholas Altheimer, Curtis track and field — Senior sprinted to three state titles at the WIAA Track & Field championships at Mount Tahoma in the 4A Boys 100M Dash (10.59), 200M Dash (21.07), and the 4x100M Relay (40.93). Owen Brown, Mount Rainier track and field — Rams senior claimed the 4A Boys Triple Jump state title with his final leap at Mount Tahoma's WIAA Track & Field championships. Eddie Bruner Jr., Lincoln track and field — Abes junior set a personal record in his 3A Boys 400M title run (46.94) and won his second title with Lincoln's 4x100M Relay (41.69). Xavier Bunn, Tumwater track and field — T-Birds senior took home two gold medals in the 2A Boys Triple Jump (45-5.5) and 4x100M Relay (41.78) at Mount Tahoma's WIAA state meet. Ethan Carter, Eatonville track and field — Cruisers senior captured the 2A Boys Pole Vault state title (15-6) at the WIAA Track & Field championships at Mount Tahoma. Marvis Christian, Franklin Pierce track and field — Cardinals senior successfully defended his 2A Boys Long Jump title (22-8.75) at the WIAA state meet at Mount Tahoma. Mateo Cordero, Mount Tahoma track and field — Won the Mixed 100M Dash Unified title at the WIAA Track & Field championships on his home track (11.79). Jake Cuda, Gig Harbor baseball — Had a strong start in 3A state tournament loss to Kennewick, going five innings, allowing three hits, one run, walking three and striking out two. Andy Glaze, Steilacoom track and field — Sentinels senior won the 2A Boys 800M title (1:53.56) at the WIAA state meet at Mount Tahoma. Carson Godfrey, Olympia track and field — Bears junior won 4A Boys Shot Put title (60-10.5) at the WIAA Track & Field championships at Mount Tahoma. Kanai Kennedy, Mount Tahoma track and field — Freshman sprinter captured the 3A Boys 100M Dash state title on his home track (10.80) at the WIAA Track & Field championships at Mount Tahoma. Ethan Mar, Gig Harbor baseball — Went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk in 3A state tournament semifinal loss to Kennewick. Jett Reed, Puyallup baseball — Pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief in Puyallup's 4A state tournament semifinal loss to Lake Washington, allowing no hits, no runs and walking one. Jordan Smith, Timberline track and field — Blazers senior won the 3A Boys 300M Hurdles title at the WIAA state meet at Mount Tahoma. Gage Thompson, Puyallup baseball — Hit a solo home run to left field, scoring Puyallup's lone run in its 4A state tournament semifinal loss to Lake Washington. Geron White, Federal Way track and field — Eagles senior soared to repeat state high jump titles (6-11.25) and claimed the 3A Boys Triple Jump championship (46-6.25) at Mount Tahoma's WIAA state meet.
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Vote now for The News Tribune's Girls Athlete of the Week (May 26 to 31)
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New turf football field with lights coming to Pierce County school district
Soon, Roy Anderson Field won't be the Peninsula School District's only high school turf football field. The Gig Harbor Tides will get their own lit turf field if all goes according to schedule next year, helping plug another hole in the supply of athletic fields playable in fair and rainy weather in the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula areas. The district also plans to address several other needs at its facilities and campuses, according to a presentation from Director of Facilities Patrick Gillespie at the school board meeting on May 20. Those issues include poor drainage at the district's two high school baseball fields and an outdated auditorium lighting system at Peninsula High School. ' ... we're really excited about this project and what it would bring,' Gillespie said about Gig Harbor's future turf field at the meeting. 'We hear all the time that we need more fields for our student athletes.' The district plans to install field lighting, re-spray the track surfacing, add a scoreboard and flag pole, install 8-foot fencing and convert the grass field to synthetic turf at Gig Harbor High School's lower field, Gillespie said at the meeting. The field will accommodate football and soccer and have reference marks for boys and girls lacrosse, discus and javelin, he said. The district is working with consultant D.A. Hogan. The company has worked on turf fields throughout the Puget Sound area, including at Mount Tahoma High School and Stadium High School, and Gig Harbor High School's upper field, according to the D.A. Hogan website. The district is working on design concepts for Gig Harbor's turf football field and plans to put the project out to bid in the spring of next year. If all goes well, construction should begin around April or May 2026 and run through the end of September that year, Gillespie told the board. Since the project is still in its early stages, there isn't an official timeline or cost estimate yet, according to district spokesperson Danielle Chastaine. The district will first gather input from its athletic teams and coaches about the field's condition and specific needs, then will begin requesting proposals from contractors and determining cost projections, she wrote in an email. She added that funding for the project will come from the district's capital projects budget, which draws from multiple sources including levies, bonds, impact fees and state match funding grants. The money in this fund also collects interest over time. No additional levy or bond dollars will be necessary to fund the field project, she wrote. The district will be working with a consultant to assess the infield dirt at both the Gig Harbor High School and Peninsula High School baseball fields, and the fastpitch softball field at Peninsula, Gillespie said at the meeting. The assessment 'could lead to removing existing infield dirt and replacing (it) with new,' he said. It's a step toward addressing long-term drainage issues at the baseball fields, but the announcement didn't completely satisfy the Gig Harbor Peninsula Youth Sports Coalition, which posted a response to the meeting on Facebook on May 22. 'Unfortunately, and surprisingly, there was no mention of converting any of the dirt infields to artificial turf, which could significantly improve year-round usability and safety,' the post said. Michael Perrow, a founding member of the coalition, told The News Tribune in a phone call that he would like to see more opportunities for public input in the district's decision-making process related to its athletic fields, such as via questionnaires and public open houses. Kevin Owens, a former coach for the Peninsula High School baseball team from 2016 to 2018, told The News Tribune in a phone call that he does remember the field at Peninsula getting 'mushy.' He sees drainage as a problem across the state because of the rainy weather, he said. 'Other than getting turf, what other solution do you have?' Owens said. Drainage issues at the two fields go back decades, former players and a former coach told The News Tribune. Gig Harbor High School's field has had particular issues because of its proximity to wetlands. A few days of rain can make the field unplayable, causing players to miss out on outdoor playing time, The News Tribune reported. Other school and parks districts in the Pacific Northwest have converted their baseball fields to artificial turf in recent years, including at PenMet Parks' Sehmel Homestead Park and schools in Skagit and Clark counties. School board member David Olson asked Gillespie at the board meeting if it might be possible to raise the Gig Harbor High School baseball field, which he described as 'the swamp,' so that the players aren't 'running around in a bunch of mud during the games.' That option 'would be a pretty massive undertaking,' Gillespie said. '... there would be a lot of work and costs associated with that.' Gillespie added in response to a question about the purpose of replacing the dirt that the typical options for dirt are sand, clay, or a combination, and certain soil types are better-suited to certain kinds of weather. Sand is better to help the field drain in the winter months, but turns the field into a 'sand pit' in the summer, he said. Clay is better for the summer but worse in the winter, 'so you tend to go with something in between,' he continued. He said that he's talked to people involved in working on other fields including at Seattle's T-Mobile Park — a grass field with a specially designed drainage system including 'layers of drainage pipe, pea gravel, sand, and grass,' according to the Major League Baseball website — and has gotten conflicting opinions on what works best. The consultant will be able to share insights into how the district can address its issues with the water-logged fields, according to Gillespie. District spokesperson Danielle Chastaine did not immediately respond when asked by The News Tribune about the cost of working with the consultant. The district also plans to replace the aging outfield fence at Gig Harbor High School's baseball field and look into adding more storage space there this summer, he said. Another aging system will also get an upgrade: Peninsula High School's electrical/dimmer panel system and associated lighting for the auditorium. The estimated cost is $150,000, according to Director of Career and Technical Education Kelsey Parke. The school's electrical/dimmer panel system, which controls lighting in the auditorium and is also known as the 'matrix,' is over 50 years old, Parke wrote in an email Wednesday. It's used by students in the school's drama program to control lighting during theater productions. 'While it was well known that our auditorium lighting was outdated, stepping into my role as the new director provided a fresh perspective on our fiscal responsibility,' Parke wrote. 'We realized that the amount being spent on ASB lighting rentals was nearly equal to the ticket revenue brought in from each production.' A student representative at the board meeting who has participated in school drama productions expressed enthusiasm for the new system, saying that the company that made the old system doesn't exist anymore and that there aren't any manuals available online. The district will begin the process of replacing the panel system in July, and will upgrade the lighting systems before September, according to Parke. The district will provide training to students and staff to use the new equipment, and students will also be able to access it through courses like 'Theater Tech: Lights and Sound' as they 'gain hands-on experience designing lighting sequences for upcoming productions,' she wrote.
