(Photo by David Hutchinson)

11:33 AM: By start time this morning, 1,172 people had registered to run and/or walk in the first West Seattle 5K since 2019. Here’s our video of all of them heading out from the start line at 61st/Alki:

(WSB photos and video from here)
Not only was the turnout heartening to the West Seattle PTSA, organizers Athena Frederick and Kelley O’Connor were proud of the other support that’s helping make this an important fundraiser to help WSHS and its students – such as the most local-business sponsorship support ever.

They explained that, for example, the proceeds help ensure “Saturday School” – extra support for students who need it – continues. Now, the top finishers – Matthew Lawrence, 15, was the first to cross the finish line, in 16:55:

Megan Heuer, 41, was the first female runner to finish (as she was in 2017), in 18:16:

All the results are here. Other participants ranged from preschoolers to seniors – race announcer Fred Northup (pictured below with daughter Zola, “a future WSHS student”) noted a 76-year-old woman running the WS5K today to celebrate her birthday.

A big focus for organizers this year was even more school involvement than the past. Even the WSHS Cheer Team was represented.

ADDED 2:37 PM: Here are acknowledgments from the race organizers, with more of our photos interspersed:

Wow, we did it! Bringing this race back post-Covid was a labor of love but thanks to all the organizers in years before us, it was doable! Thanks to all of you, today’s West Seattle 5k was a great success! A big “thank you” to all of our volunteers and sponsors, and the 1,172 runners and walkers who participated! We raised $34,000 for for the West Seattle High School PTSA and students and teachers and staff! The PTSA covers educational programming like Saturday School, Teachers Mini-grants and more!

Yours Truly, 2023 Race Co-Directors – Kelley O’Connor and Athena Frederick

Special shout out to volunteers:

Lori Sherick and Amy Huey for helping get the word out at all the schools and to help when we were overwhelmed and needed a quick errand made, or a document crafted!
Amy Doll for coordinating the supplies, kids, teachers and staff!
Erik Bell at Bell Fortina for countless hours coming up with our graphics and all the artwork for our shirt design, posters, banner, yard signs, clean up and so much more. And, then to come out and take pictures of runners and families. We so appreciate YOU and all you do for our community in capturing pictures of an events like this.
Dana Margolis @ The Little Gym for help securing sponsorships and prizes – you rock!
Renee Phelps and all the NHS students from West Seattle High School for putting out signage, stuffing bags and working the event!
WSHS PTSA Board members – especially Gina, Holly, Chau, and Heather!!
Lyndsay Aykens and Owen Reese for coordinating our Event Day Volunteers!
James Powell for your love of the sport!
Lori Sherick and Chris OClaire and their FUN Committee (WSHS 5k student led committee) – Bree, William, Esta, Sam, Lilly, Elliott,
Adult Course Monitors – thanks for stepping in this year to have our backs
Lyle at Get Me Registered for all the tech support!!
Alki businesses and residents – thanks for sharing this special beach for the morning so we could hold this fundaiser to make our local West Seattle High School the best it can be for our students and teachers!
Our 70+ volunteers!

We doubled our best sponsorship year, raising 20k in funds from our local businesses. That 20K covered the cost of putting on the race.

All our amazing Sponsors:

Portage Bay Cafe
School of Rock West Seattle
Sea Pines Physical Therapy
Dragonfly Pilates who warmed us up
West Seattle Realty
West Seattle Blog who got the word out about the event
Fred from Northup Fundraising for all his great emcee skills today!! Special thanks for reading every finisher’s name, nice touch!
Clif Bar for keeping us fueled on energy bars and bloks!
West Seattle Runner for hosting our packet pickup and top finishers all a new pair of running shoes!
BracePoint Law
Schoeb Chiropractic
We Sweat
Susi Musi Realtor
Dream Dinners
West Seattle Foot & Ankle
Alki Annie realtor
Club Pilates on Mercer Island
Swifty Printing
The Hill Team – Zack and Jody Realtors
Sports Medicine NW
Tram’s Salon
Hotwire Coffee
Ventana Construction
Niederberger Construction
WebCami for all our website needs and many rounds to bring the website back from 2019!!
Cometa Playschool
The Little Gym of West Seattle – yay Teacher Dana
The Fang Law Firm
PCC Community Market
Metropolitan Market
Carmilia’s Boutique
Mission Cantina
West Wings
West Side Music Academy
Alki Kayak Tours
Colburn Law

The first WS5K was on May 31, 2009 (here’s our coverage). P.S. The next community-benefit 5K in West Seattle is the Float Dodger 5K, which West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) will present again July 22nd – before the West Seattle Grand Parade – as a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank; you can register here right now!

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Grueling but ultimately thrilling day for the West Seattle High School baseball team. After winning their first two games in the state 3A tournament – both played today – they’re in the final four. As noted earlier, Matthew Henning pitched a no-hitter in the morning victory over Stadium High School from Tacoma, 4-0, and then Miles Gosztola (#13, below) allowed just one run for the win in the afternoon quarterfinal game vs. Edmonds-Woodway, 3-1.

Hitting stars for the second game were Bobby Trigg (#2, below) and Sabin Tomlinson, both going 2 for 3, plus Caden Fahy, who had 2 RBI while going 1 for 3.

Both of today’s games were at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, where WSHS plays its home games. For the final rounds of the state tournament, head coach Dylan Mclauchlin and team head to Everett Memorial Stadium, playing Lincoln (also from Seattle Public Schools) at 10 am Friday (May 26th). The other two teams in the semifinals are Lake Washington and O’Dea. If they win Friday, the Wildcats will play for the championship at 4 pm Saturday. (Here’s the full tournament bracket.)

(WSB photo)

Lucia, Shelyenne, and Lilly are helping with packet pickup for tomorrow’s West Seattle 5K – if you’ve registered, you have until 5 pm to go get yours at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) and avoid the pre-race crush tomorrow. Might be a record-setting turnout, according to Athena from the West Seattle High School PTSA, who sent this photo earlier:

(Photo sent by Athena)

The WSHS PTSA presents and benefits from the WS5K, which has more than 1,000 runners and walkers signed up so far. It starts at 61st/Alki at 9:30 am tomorrow; late registration/packet pickup is on site starting at 8:30 am. Alki/Harbor Avenues will be closed for the WS5K starting at 8 am, and that’s why “road closed” signs are already staged along side streets.

Plenty to cheer for in the West Seattle High School athletic program this year. Cheer itself is a sport – and the team is looking for a co-coach! Coach Nadine Nguyen asked us to share the announcement:

West Seattle High School Coed Cheer Team is looking for a New Coach to join their award-winning cheer team.

He/She will assist in coaching student athletes in competitive cheer techniques to prepare them for events and competitions. Preferably with stunting and competition experience.

If interested, please contact Coach Nadine Nguyen at nmnguyen@seattleschools.org

Another spring sports update – this time from the West Seattle High School golf program, which has two updates:

On Monday, May 15th, the West Seattle Girls Golf Team competed at the District Tournament at the Riverbend Golf Course in Kent. Harmony Pham, Hailey Vaughey, Tallulah Williams, Sadie Stover, and Abbie Cunliffe represented West Seattle High School. We placed 8th overall, only 17 strokes from qualifying the entire team to State.

We did have two West Seattle golfers qualify as individuals for the State Tournament. Senior Harmony Pham (above) shot a score of 83 at Girls Districts and top 5 finish in the individual category. Junior Simon Vance (below) shot a 78 at Boys Districts, which was previously held back in October.

The State Tournament will be held on May 23rd and 24th in Olympia.

Congratulations to all the girls and boys who competed in the District Championship Tournament, and to Harmony and Simon for making it to the High School Golf State Tournament!

ALSO: If you are interested in playing golf for the West Seattle High Golf Team for the (corrected) 2023-2024 season, please contact Coach Joel at wshsgolfteam@outlook.com.

Our season runs from September to the end of October. We have both varsity and junior varsity teams. Tryouts are in August.

(WSB photo. #8, Carmen Cruz; #12, yelling, Mackenzie Curry Uzwack; catcher Caitlin Gordon; #26, Alice Herron)

So close! West Seattle High School‘s softball season ended tonight, but not before a thrilling comeback attempt. At Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, the Wildcats lost to Lake Washington 9-7 in the district tournament. At one point they were down 6-1 – and then they battled back to take the lead, 7-6, with a three-run homer by Kaila Ignacio a big factor in that. But the Kangaroos weren’t done yet, and scored three runs in the seventh to take the win. West Seattle finishes the season with a 13-7 record.

All afternoon and evening, Metro League softball-tournament contenders have been on the field at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, including both local teams.

(WSB photo, between innings at WSHS-Ballard game)

WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL: The Wildcats blew out Ingraham in their first game of the day, at mid-afternoon, 19-0. That sent them forward to play Ballard tonight. WSHS lost that game 5-3, but gets one more try to stay in the postseason, with a 1:30 pm game Friday (May 12) vs. Lincoln, also at NCSWAC (2801 SW Thistle).

CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL: Lincoln is who brought the Seahawks’ season to an end this afternoon, 15-10. Chief Sealth finishes the year with a 10-8 record.

(WSB photos)

With their 20th win, the West Seattle High School baseball team also secured a spot in the state tournament. The Wildcats shut out O’Dea tonight, 4-0 at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center, and play Lincoln for the Metro League championship on Saturday night. WSHS pitcher Matthew Henning pitched the complete game, allowing only two hits:

Wildcat Bobby Trigg was first to score a run for WSHS, with a second-inning homer.

They’ll be back at Steve Cox (1321 SW 102nd, White Center) to go for the league title Saturday night, 7 pm.

Miles Gosztola (above) got the win as West Seattle High School beat Ballard 12-2 in Metro League playoff baseball this afternoon at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center. WSHS, now with a record of 19-2, got a first-round bye and opened tournament play today. Gosztola struck out nine and allowed six hits.

(WSHS #4, Tyler Eisenhut)

The big inning for the Wildcats was the sixth, when they scored five of those 12 runs. Their next game is 7 pm Monday, also at Steve Cox (1321 SW 102nd), against the winner of tonight’s Eastside Catholic-O’Dea game.

Thanks for the updates from Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center. Brandon reports that Chief Sealth International High School‘s baseball team has just defeated Ingraham in a must-win Metro League playoff game, 2-1 in 13 innings. A texter tells us the game was scoreless until the 13th – then Ingraham scored a run in the top of that inning, followed by Sealth scoring two for the win in the bottom. The texter tells us the winning run came on a bases-loaded walk with two outs. Sealth will play again at Steve Cox, 4 pm Wednesday (May 10th), vs. Seattle Prep.