The Rewind: South sweeps regional wrestling team titles, Anchorage Wolverines split on the road and Sayvia Sellers sets new career highs

Welcome to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports.

This past week featured several notable individual and team performances across the Alaska sports landscape at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. This past week in the 2024 high school hockey season saw one of the last unbeaten teams suffer its first loss while the wrestling postseason got underway. On the college scene, the University of Alaska Anchorage played its last home series of 2024. Outside the state, several Alaskans had impressive performances and career achievements worth recognizing and celebrating.

Headlines and highlights

The annual Big Lake Ice Classic took place late last week and over the weekend and wrapped up with a bout between the Division I and Division II reigning state hockey champions. With a 1-0 victory, Division II Houston not only handed Division I West its first loss since Feb. 1 of this year dating back to last season, the Hawks became the first team to shut out the Eagles since Dec. 22, 2022.

Across the state, the high school wrestling postseason began with regional action including in Anchorage where the Region IV tournament took place at South High on Saturday. The hosting Wolverines repeated as team champions for the 13th year in a row on the boys side and for the second straight year on the girls after notching their first ever region title last season.

“It’s one of the goals we have every single year,” South head coach Randy Hanson said. “To be honest, we just come here not really too concerned with a team title, it’s just qualify as many kids as we can for the state tournament, keep our season alive and give ourselves the best chance at the state title at the end of the season.”

The boys finals were littered with wrestlers for the home team including two that pitted teammates against each other and while most of them won their matches comfortably, the same could not be said for sophomore Dylan Frawner at 112 pounds. He dug his way out of a 7-0 hole and tied the match at 9-9 in the final seconds of the third period to force overtime, where he won in walk-off fashion with a swift takedown of his exhausted opponent.

“I just got stuck on bottom, put legs in and couldn’t get up and just had to keep battling,” he said. “That’s what wrestling is, it’s an endurance thing. You gotta keep pushing even when you see the scoreboard and everything is going against you. Your coaches and your teammates, that’s what makes you keep going when you look over at them and they’re chanting your name.”

One of the other most exciting matches of the finals saw a Wolverine fall and a Lynx prevail as Dimond’s Daven Nysta literally bulldozed his way to a regional title in the heavyweight 285-pound division. He was awarded two points because his opponent was called for stalling but earned the remainder of his points in a 6-1 decision victory over South’s Lucas Griffin.

“Instead of brute forcing it like I did last year, I thought I could use more techniques that my coaches taught me like get around him, do more shots because I notice how heavyweights, whenever I watch them, they never take shots,” he said.

Two of his attempts at a single-leg takedown resulted in both wrestlers landing off the mat and into the scoring table on the second.

“When I went for the single-leg, I tried to get to a double-leg but he kept on backing up and I didn’t notice the table was behind me because I was so focused and I guess I rammed into them,” Nysta said. “I hope I didn’t hit anybody. I heard everybody yelling and I looked at the table and was like ‘Oh crap, did I do that?’ ”

On the girls side, South’s Jessailah Thammavongsa claimed her fourth straight regional title, completing a third successful title defense with a first period pin to remain undefeated and will now set her sights on repeating as champion at next week’s state tournament.

“It feels good, (there’s) a lot of pressure to keep a high standard for myself and getting another region title,” she said. “We worked really hard for another (team) title. Last year it was a big surprise that we won with our first ever title.”

After claiming her first regional title last year with her brother during his senior season, Chugiak’s Annika Johnson successfully defended her title as well at 138 pounds with a second period pin.

“It feels awesome and I’m so excited to go to state, I really want to win it this year,” said Johnson who finished second at the state tournament in 2023.

The UAA hockey team played on its home ice for the last time in 2024 last week with a two-game series against visiting Augustana. In the first game on Thursday, the Seawolves rallied to force overtime and skated to a 2-2 tie and in the second game, they fell to the Vikings 3-2 in overtime Friday.

The Anchorage Wolverines continued their road stint this past weekend and extended their win streak to three with a 5-4 overtime victory in the first installment of their two-game series against the Janesville Jets on Friday. That streak was snapped the following night when they fell 5-2 on Saturday. Forward Taisetsu Ushio recorded a pair of goals in Friday’s win, including the first of the game and the game-winner in overtime while fellow forward Jakub Bednarik tied him for the team lead over the weekend by recording a goal in each game.

Alaska stars shining Outside

At the World Cup stop in Davos, Switzerland, last weekend, Alaska skiers finished with some quality results. In the women’s 20K classic race Sunday, Rosie Brennan finished in eighth place with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 41 seconds. That was one place behind teammate Jessie Diggins.

In Saturday’s sprint final, Anchorage’s Gus Schumacher finished 11th in 2:29.16. USA teammate Ben Ogden finished sixth. Diggins finished sixth in the women’s race while Brennan finished in 18th place.

Anchorage’s Sayvia Sellers continued her breakout sophomore season for the University of Washington women’s basketball team this past Saturday when she set another career high in points with 30 in a 67-57 loss to Utah. In doing so, the former Anchorage Christian School star and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year not only led the Huskies in scoring, she became the first player from the program to record 30-plus in a game since Amber Melgoza in 2020. Sellers finished 11-of-22 shooting from the field including 4-of-9 from behind the arc and 4-of-6 on free throws and was two rebounds shy of a double-double with a career-high eight boards.

Sellers wasn’t the only former prep standout hoopster from Anchorage who had an explosive outin this past week. Angelline Nageak, formerly of Dimond, had not just one but two 20-plus point scoring outputs in back-to-back games for first the time in her collegiate career with the Adams State University women’s basketball program. She led the Grizzlies in scoring in wins over Fort Lewis and New Mexico Highlands University with a season-high 22 points on Thursday and nearly tied it on Saturday with 21 points. With her six steals in the first game, she eclipsed 300 for her career which ranks seventh in the NCAA across all divisions.

Anchorage’s Mikayla Johnson made her third straight start for the University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball team this past week and reached double figures in scoring for the third game in a row and seventh time this season in a 62-56 loss to Miami on Sunday. The former Bartlett standout was one of two players on the team to score in double digits and finished second in scoring with 11 points and had the second-most rebounds as well with six.

Anchorage’s Akeem Sulaiman set a career high in scoring for the second week in a row and recorded a pair of double-doubles with the Peninsula College men’s basketball team. The former Bettye Davis East Anchorage standout recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds in an 87-63 loss to Lane on Saturday and dropped 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a thrilling 56-55 win over Pierce on Sunday, all of which led the Pirates in both games. Earlier in the week, fellow former Thunderbird-turned-Pirate, DeShawn Rushmeyer, set a new career high in scoring by recording 14 in a 63-58 win over Big Bend on Friday to go along with a team-leading five rebounds.

Fairbanks’ Daishen Nix helped the Iowa Wolves become the first team to clinch a spot in the NBA G-League Winter Showcase by dropping 21 points in a 114-113 win over the Motor City Cruise on Friday. He finished second on the team in scoring, led the team with six assists and tied for the second-most rebounds with seven.

Anchorage’s Jeremy Swayman bounced back from a rough outing earlier in the week to helped the Boston Bruins end a two-game skid by making 19 saves on 20 shots as the starting goalkeeper in a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks this past Saturday. It marked the 10th win of the season for the former South standout and his fourth in the team’s last five games.

(If you know of an Alaska athlete who has achieved a standout performance or reached a noteworthy milestone on the Outside, email sports@adn.com or jreed@adn.com with the details.)

Fast Forward

Prep

Hockey

South v. Chugiak at Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Two of the top three teams in the CIC will face off for the first time this season in an early week clash where the Wolverines will be looking to extend their winning streak to five while the Mustangs will be trying to establish a streak of their own after shutting out Dimond in their last time on the ice.

Basketball

Mountain City Christian Academy at Bettye Davis Anchorage, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

The two-time reigning 4A state champion Thunderbirds host the Lions in a nonconference matchup to open the high school season in their last game of this calendar year..

Wrestling

ASAA State Championship Tournament at Alaska Airlines Center, Friday and Saturday

The postseason for the 2024 high school season will officially come to a close this weekend when the top Division I and II boys and girls wrestlers from across the state descend upon Anchorage for the chance to contend for and defend state individual and team titles.

Last week’s results

High School

Wrestling

Tuesday

North Pole 98, Lathrop 32 (boys/girls)

Friday

Dillingham 18, Newhalen 6 (boys/girls)

Saturday

Region IV Boys Championships

103

1st Place - Peter May of South

2nd Place - Drew Riedel of South

1st Place Match

Peter May (South) 27-6, Fr. over Drew Riedel (South) 8-6, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:54 (19-2))

112

1st Place - Dylan Frawner of South

2nd Place - Vash Bundy of Eagle River

1st Place Match

Dylan Frawner (South) 23-4, So. over Vash Bundy (Eagle River) 31-10, Sr. (SV-1 12-9)

119

1st Place - Max Francisco (East)

2nd Place - Vincent Robinson (South)

1st Place Match

Max Francisco (East) 29-0, Jr. over Vincent Robinson (South) 26-11, So. (For.)

125

1st Place - Louie Flint (Eagle River)

2nd Place - Kaden Costigan (South)

1st Place Match

Louie Flint (Eagle River) 36-10, Sr. over Kaden Costigan (South) 21-6, So. (Dec 9-2)

130

1st Place - Liam Rogers (Eagle River)

2nd Place - Benson Mishler (South)

1st Place Match

Liam Rogers (Eagle River) 33-6, Sr. over Benson Mishler (South) 27-7, Jr. (Fall 3:39)

135

1st Place - Michael Roschi (Eagle River)

2nd Place - Benjamin Dunlap (South)

1st Place Match

Michael Roschi (Eagle River) 23-2, Jr. over Benjamin Dunlap (South) 27-10, So. (Fall 1:57)

140

1st Place - Levi Shivers (South)

2nd Place - Emmanuel Valadez (South)

1st Place Match

Levi Shivers (South) 33-4, So. over Emmanuel Valadez (South) 22-10, Sr. (Fall 1:26)

145

1st Place - Jacob Morris (South)

2nd Place - Keller Jackson (Dimond)

1st Place Match

Jacob Morris (South) 40-0, So. over Keller Jackson (Dimond) 10-10, So. (Fall 1:37)

152

1st Place - Bohdan Porter (South)

2nd Place - Ricky Dunlavey (Chugiak)

1st Place Match

Bohdan Porter (South) 31-9, Jr. over Ricky Dunlavey (Chugiak) 29-14, Fr. (MD 13-0)

160

1st Place - Clayton McGuire (South)

2nd Place - Dax Jones (Chugiak)

1st Place Match

Clayton McGuire (South) 37-1, Jr. over Dax Jones (Chugiak) 21-9, So. (TF-1.5 2:00 (18-3))

171

1st Place - Zane Gerlach (South)

2nd Place - Elias Rimbert (Chugiak)

1st Place Match

Zane Gerlach (South) 40-0, So. over Elias Rimbert (Chugiak) 11-4, Jr. (Fall 0:55)

189

1st Place - Allen Hensen (South)

2nd Place - Alberto Colon (East)

1st Place Match

Allen Hensen (South) 32-7, Sr. over Alberto Colon (East) 19-7, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:28 (22-2))

215

1st Place - Hayden Martin (South)

2nd Place - Brayden Vreeland (Dimond)

1st Place Match

Hayden Martin (South) 37-0, Sr. over Brayden Vreeland (Dimond) 13-6, Jr. (Fall 1:00)

285

1st Place - Daven Nysta (Dimond)

2nd Place - Lucas Griffin (South)

1st Place Match

Daven Nysta (Dimond) 17-7, Jr. over Lucas Griffin (South) 16-9, So. (Dec 6-1)

Region IV Girls Championships

100G

1st Place - Scarlett Easton (Service)

2nd Place - Rebekah Ellsworth (Service)

1st Place Match

Scarlett Easton (Service) 21-12, Fr. over Rebekah Ellsworth (Service) 6-5, Fr. (Fall 1:36)

107G

1st Place - Talia Jenkins (Chugiak)

2nd Place - Brooklyn Duelfer (South)

1st Place Match

Talia Jenkins (Chugiak) 21-10, Jr. over Brooklyn Duelfer (South) 24-3, Fr. (Fall 5:33)

114G

1st Place - Charlotte Knox (Chugiak)

2nd Place - Kaylani Vreeland (Dimond)

1st Place Match

Charlotte Knox (Chugiak) 22-13, Fr. over Kaylani Vreeland (Dimond) 20-4, Fr. (Dec 3-1)

120G

1st Place - Nyah O`Neil of (Dimond)

2nd Place - Sabreena Otts (Chugiak)

1st Place Match

Nyah O`Neil (Dimond) 19-4, Jr. over Sabreena Otts (Chugiak) 21-11, Jr. (Fall 4:58)

126G

1st Place - Lilyanne Oldham (West)

2nd Place - Reagan Curry (Eagle River)

1st Place Match

Lilyanne Oldham (West) 18-8, Jr. over Reagan Curry (Eagle River) 12-6, Jr. (Fall 2:59)

132G

1st Place - Layla Saelee (East)

2nd Place - Lilly Kim (South)

1st Place Match

Layla Saelee (East) 16-8, Sr. over Lilly Kim (South) 5-7, Fr. (Fall 2:47)

138G

1st Place - Annika Johnson (Chugiak)

2nd Place - Heaven Copeland (East)

1st Place Match

Annika Johnson (Chugiak) 27-8, Sr. over Heavan Copeland (East) 13-6, So. (Fall 3:43)

145G

1st Place - Saige Morris (South)

2nd Place - Rylie Boyscout (Chugiak)

1st Place Match

Saige Morris (South) 32-1, Sr. over Rylie Boyscout (Chugiak) 19-14, Fr. (Inj. 5:16)

152G

1st Place - Savannah Stout (South)

2nd Place - Kaari Storrs (Eagle River)

1st Place Match

Savannah Stout (South) 23-5, Jr. over Kaari Storrs (Eagle River) 26-8, Fr. (Fall 1:42)

165G

1st Place - Jessailah Thammavongsa (South)

2nd Place - Kenya-Marie Bruno (East)

1st Place Match

Jessailah Thammavongsa (South) 28-0, Sr. over Kenya-Marie Bruno (East) 4-7, Jr. (Fall 1:26)

185G

1st Place - Keasiya Luedde (Service)

2nd Place - Maya Curp (South)

1st Place Match

Keasiya Luedde (Service) 21-0, Sr. over Maya Curp (South) 24-4, Sr. (Fall 4:46)

235G

1st Place - Allison Coffey (South)

2nd Place - Ayedreanna Talauega (East)

1st Place Match

Allison Coffey (South) 10-3, Jr. over Ayedreanna Talauega (East) 2-2, Jr. (Fall 3:56)

Hockey

Tuesday

Wasilla 1, Chugiak 0 (OT)

Soldotna 10, Homer 0

Palmer 5, Houston 2

Thursday

West 2, Chugiak 0

Wasilla 4, Dimond 1

Colony 4, Eagle River 4

Kenai Central 5, Kodiak 1

Friday

Chugiak 5, Dimond 0

West 2, Wasilla 1

Houston 6, Eagle River 4

Saturday

Wasilla 4, Eagle River 1

Kodiak 8, Homer 2

Dimond 3, Delta 2

Houston 1, West 0

Bowling

Monday

Boys

East 20, West 15

East - Colton Penetac 232

West - Jahdyn Odom 211

Dimond 27, South 8

Dimond - Logan Jokela 232

South - Jack Wood 182

Service 24, Bartlett 11

Service - Cyrus Varela 186

Bartlett - Tristan Jones 192

Eagle River 32, Chugiak 3

Eagle River- Nathan Smith 174

Chugiak - Michael Smith 143

Girls

West 27, East 8

West - Kendall Bencid 137

East - Lina Phatthana 141

Dimond 33, South 2

Dimond - Khloee Waldren 194

South - Karina Ziesmer 126

Bartlett 27, Service 8

Bartlett - Kara Lyman 164

Service - Lillian Blumenberg 117

Chugiak 31, Eagle River 4

Chugiak - Abigail Lanehart 192

Eagle River - Morgan Van Slyke 151

College

Hockey

Thursday

UAA 2, Augustana 2 (tie)

Friday

Augustana 3, UAA 2 (OT)

NAHL

Friday

Anchorage Wolverines 5, Janesville Jets 4

Saturday

Janesville Jets 5, Anchorage Wolverines 2