2022 ADN sports photos of the year

From high kicks to late kicks, celebrations and sorrow, the year in sports had it all.

By Emily Mesner, Marc Lester, Loren Holmes, Bill Roth, Bob Hallinen

Updated: January 10, 2023 Published: January 5, 2023

There were dozens of events and competitions that the Anchorage Daily News photography staff covered in 2022. From the Alaska’s mats, arenas and fields to trails, mountains and tracks, we captured all of the action and emotion. Here are some of our favorites photos of the year in sports and outdoors.

At the end of a practice, Olympic skater Keegan Messing demonstrates a back flip, a maneuver not allowed during competition, on Jan. 14, 2021. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Olympic curler Vicky Persinger releases a stone while practicing at the Fairbanks Curling Club in January 2021. (Marc Lester / ADN)

South-Bartlett’s Tatum Lund, left, tries to grab the puck out of the air during the 2022 Anchorage girls high school hockey championship game between Dimond-West and South-Bartlett on Feb. 12 at Ben Boeke ice arena in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

South sophomore Lake Bethard waits for the rest of her team before the start of the 2022 Anchorage girls high school hockey championship game between Dimond-West and South-Bartlett on Feb. 12. Loren Holmes / ADN)

The Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School Thunderbirds get hyped for a home game against South Anchorage High School on Feb. 25. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Julie Athans and MariaElena Medlock cheer on Tour of Anchorage cross country ski racers at Point Woronzof in Anchorage on March 6. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Karin Hendrickson mushes off of Willow Lake during the restart of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 6 in Willow. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Barrow's Jenilee Donovan and Grace Christian's Kailee Waythomas battle for control of the ball during the Whalers' 60-52 victory over the Grizzlies at the Alaska Airline Center on March 24, to advance to the 3A Girls state championship game against Sitka later that week. (Bill Roth / ADN)

The Tri-Valley bench shows frustration in the final minutes of play. Shishmaref faced Tri-Valley in the quarterfinals of the girls 1A state basketball tournament on March 17. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Point Hope’s Virginia Teayoumeak, 31, douses her coach with water alongside teammates as they celebrate their win over Wrangell in the Class 2A girls state championship basketball game at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on March 19. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Stacy West cheers for her son, Richard Cross, 33, after he makes a free throw during the class 3A boys state basketball championship game against Grace Christian at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on March 26. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Ryleigh Alex-Talamaivao, left, and Ari Simmons watch high school cheerleaders from the stands and mimic their moves during the state high school basketball tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on March 26. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

South Anchorage boys basketball head coach Jamaal Siah celebrates on the court after his team won the class 4A boys state basketball championship game at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on March 26. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Junior skier Jack Klayum does a flip during the NordicX event at Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage on April 2. (Bob Hallinen photo)

Senior skier Ari Endestad crashes at the end of the NordicX run at Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage on April 2. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Selawik’s Samantha Skin hits a bump on the trail and crashes her snowmachine as she competes in the Gunner 120 snowmachine race in Kotzebue on April 11. Racers traveled from Kotzebue to Noorvik and back. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

People gather on a hill just before Lockhart Point outside of Kotzebue to watch the Gunner 120 snowmachine race on April 11. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

East high soccer player Liam Albertson heads the ball during a game against Service on April 18 at Service. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Eden Hopson of Anchorage won the girls Alaskan High Kick during the Native Youth Olympics at the Alaska Airlines Center on April 21. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Eden Hopson of Anchorage celebrated winning the girls Alaskan High Kick with her mother Joanna Hopson at the Native Youth Olympics on April 21. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Service senior Simon Carricaburu (3) defends against a header by South senior Seth Keirn during a 1-1 tie at Service High School on May 4. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Scarlett Vonda of Service is congratulated after finishing the unified 100-meter race. Dimond High School hosted the first day of the Anchorage Invitational high school track meet on May 6. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Chugiak High's Emily Moore competes in the high jump on May 20 during the Cook Inlet Conference championships at Dimond High School. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Chugiak's Campbell Peterson sprints to the finish of the 3200 meters on May 20 during the Cook Inlet Conference championships at Dimond High School. Peterson won the race. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

West Valley's Alex Emers celebrates a high jump at the Track and Field State Championships, held at Dimond High School on May 27. Emers won the state title in the event. (Marc Lester / ADN)

From left, former Seattle Seahawks players Jim Zorn, Steve Largent, and Orlando Huff watch as Peter Griggs demonstrates the two-foot high kick on June 2, at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. This is the second year that the Seahawks have visited the center. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

U12 kids participate in a drill on June 8 during a Seattle Kraken youth hockey camp at the Dempsey-Anderson Ice Arena in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Anchorage Bucs first baseman Dylan Fesperman waits for the ball as Glacier Pilots base runner Brayden Hiraki dives back to the bag during the Bucs' 1-0 shutout victory on June 8, at Mulcahy Stadium. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Young baseball fans watch a foul ball during the Anchorage Bucs' 1-0 shutout victory over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots on June 8, at Mulcahy Stadium. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Eagle River batter Dalton Smith celebrates his walk-off walk during the Wolves' 4-3 victory over the Service Cougars in the 8th inning of the championship game of the Alaska Legion State Tournament at Mulcahy Stadium on July 26. (Bill Roth / ADN)

The East High football team practices on Aug. 4 in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Boys runners splash through a puddle at the 2022 Big 8 Elite cross country race start at Kincaid Park on Aug. 27. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Three pigs sprint around a track during the Kenai Peninsula Racing Pigs event at the Alaska State Fair grounds in Palmer on Aug. 29. (Bill Roth / ADN)

JT Sengchareun and Puni Pa'u, of Bettye Davis East High, bring down Riley Elvidge of North Creek, Washington High on Sept. 3. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Bartlett High's Zuriel Guzman (13) and Colony High's Jack Nash (21) catch some air during a football game on Sept. 16 at Bartlett. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Nenana’s Shante Smith is held up by teammate Shayauna Bukowski after crossing the finish line during the Division III ASAA girls state cross country championships at Bartlett High School on Oct. 8. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Mud and water splash up from the trail as runners compete in the Division I ASAA boys state cross country championships at Bartlett High School on Oct. 8. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Edith Rivera cheers for Tikigaq’s boys cross country team as they compete in the Division III ASAA state championship tournament at Bartlett High School on Oct. 8. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Dimond junior running back Mai Mateaki catches the ball tossed by senior quarterback Kali Hibbert during the Lynx's 27-9 home victory over the South Wolverines on Oct. 13. (Bill Roth / ADN)

East High senior Olyvia Mamae sprints to the end zone during a 50-yard carry at Eagle River High in the Thunderbirds' 42-0 shutout victory over the Wolves on Aug. 18. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Lathrop High head coach Luke Balash is soaked with water after the football game against Soldotna High at Service High School on Oct. 15. Lathrop won the 2022 Alaska DII football championship, defeating Soldotna 21-18. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Homer players celebrate their championship win at Service High School on Oct. 15. Homer won the 2022 DIII state football championship, defeating Houston. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

UAA’s Lachlan Viney and Midway’s Will VanHook dive for the ball as they fight for possession during their basketball game at the Alaska Airlines Center on Oct. 27. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Chippewa's Matthew Grannan, left, and Kenai River's Ben Monson fight. Kenai River Brown Bears played the Chippewa Steel in Soldotna on Oct. 27. (Marc Lester / ADN)

South High Wolverines celebrate a point against West High Eagles during a come from behind win in the second set during the Region IV volleyball tournament at Service High on Nov. 3. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Cash Drago, 4, covers his ears as a horn goes off and people cheer after the Anchorage Wolverines scored a goal in their game against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at Ben Boeke Ice Arena on Nov. 4. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Anchorage Wolverines hockey player Cooper Morris, left, and Fairbanks Ice Dogs’ Joey Potter fight on the ice in the second period of their game on Nov. 4. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Thunder Mountain’s Alex Jenkins celebrates with teammates after they won the girls 200 yard freestyle relay during the ASAA state swimming championships at Bartlett High School on Nov. 5. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Service’s Gavin Kitchen celebrates after winning the boys 100 yard backstroke event during the ASAA state swimming championships at Bartlett High School on Nov. 5. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Members of the boys Chugiak relay team walk to the starting block during the ASAA state swimming championships on Nov. 5. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Nikiski's Avery White dives. Sitka faced Nikiski on the first day of the 3A Volleyball State Championships at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on Nov. 10. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Wasilla celebrates a point. Wasilla faced West on the first day of the 4A Volleyball State Championships at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on Nov. 10. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Peter Przybyski rides down Arctic Valley on Nov. 16. Przybyski and his friend Kyler Weaver hiked up and rode down for the first time this season. "There were a couple of shallow spots," said Weaver. "We're just getting our legs warmed up and testing out some new gear." (Loren Holmes / ADN)

University of Alaska Anchorage sophomore Jazzpher Evans looks towards the basket during a basketball game against University of California Riverside on Nov. 18 during the Great Alaska Shootout at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Jahnna Hajdukoviich, of the UAA Seawolves, drives the baseline as Emma Egan, of La Salle, defends during the Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 19. The Seawolves defeated La Salle 88-75 in the championship game. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

A skier passes by a mound of snow created by snowmaking operations at Kincaid Park on clear and cold Nov. 27. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Young Seawolves fans attempt to distract a free throw attempt by MSU sophomore Dyauni Boyce during the UAA Seawolves' 68-61 home loss to the Yellowjackets at the Alaska Airlines Center on Dec. 1. (Bill Roth / ADN)

From left, Johnny Lamantia, 14, John Lamantia, and Cavan Dick, 14, use skins to hike up to Peak Three on Dec. 8 from Canyon Road on the Anchorage hillside. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

A snowboarder rides down the slope at Hilltop Ski Area at sunset on Dec. 15. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Soldotna’s Issac Chavarria takes down South Anchorage’s Samuel Chaput as they compete in the ASAA State Wrestling Championships at the Alaska Airlines Center on Dec. 17. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Wrangell’s Randy Churchill tears up after defeating Sitka’s Jason Young and placing first in the 160-pound weight class during the ASAA State Wrestling Championships on Dec. 17. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Young boys wrestle near the stands as they attend the ASAA State Wrestling Championships on Dec. 17. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Saylor Landrum, from St. Paul, Minnesota, practices her target shooting ahead of the Team USA Biathlon Trials, which starts on Wednesday, on Dec. 26 at Kincaid Park in Anchorage. Around 70 young athletes from around the country are contending for spots on teams that will compete at a number of international competitions, including the Junior World Championships, which will be held in Kazakhstan next March, and the World University Games, which will be held in Lake Placid, New York in January. Landrum is one of around a dozen competitors from Minnesota, which has recently been hit with severe winter weather. “It’s a lot warmer here,” said Landrum. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

An athlete tucks for a downhill on the course. The U.S. Biathlon trials for the Youth and Junior World Championships continued with a pursuit event at Kincaid Park on Dec. 29. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Ben Sites of Crosscut Biathlon skates into the finish line. The U.S. Biathlon trials for the Youth and Junior World Championships continued with a pursuit event at Kincaid Park on Dec. 29. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Emily Mesner

Emily Mesner is a multimedia journalist for the Anchorage Daily News. She previously worked for the National Park Service at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, at the Cordova Times and at the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Jackson, Michigan.

Bob Hallinen

Bob Hallinen has been a photojournalist in Alaska since the 1980s and has traveled extensively all over the state. He retired from the ADN in November 2018 after 33 years at the newspaper.