Sports

Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles' Kennedy Bruch, 10, defends the net against East Jefferson Volleyball Team of Katie Ballard, left, and Sophie Patterson during a Tuesday game in Chimacum.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Port Angeles downs combined Jefferson team in opener

The prep volleyball season got back on the court after a 15-month COVID-19 pandemic hiatus with the Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Chimacum… Continue reading

Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles' Kennedy Bruch, 10, defends the net against East Jefferson Volleyball Team of Katie Ballard, left, and Sophie Patterson during a Tuesday game in Chimacum.
Pierre LaBossiere

COLUMN: Welcoming the return of local sports

IT’S BEEN ALMOST exactly a year. A year of dashed hopes and crushing lows. A few days of despair. Some false starts. Other days in… Continue reading

Pierre LaBossiere
Washington guard Marcus Tsohonis (0) shoots over Washington State center Dishon Jackson (21) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Pullman, Wash., Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

PAC-12 BASKETBALL: UW’s Tsohonis hits game-winner as Huskies nip Cougars

Marcus Tsohonis scored a career-high 29 points, including a winning floater in the lane with 2.4 seconds left, and Washington edged rival Washington… Continue reading

  • Feb 16, 2021
  • The Associated Press
Washington guard Marcus Tsohonis (0) shoots over Washington State center Dishon Jackson (21) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Pullman, Wash., Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Port Angeles High School Wally Sigmar Field at Peninsula College still had a couple of inches of snow on the field Monday afternoon. The Port Angeles soccer girls are hoping to open their season tonight against East Jefferson, but that game may be postponed if the snow doesn't melt.

PREP SPORTS: More preps back Tuesday and Wednesday after long hiatus

Despite a bit of a hiccup from a weekend snowstorm, prep sports is finally returning to the Olympic Peninsula today after a… Continue reading

Port Angeles High School Wally Sigmar Field at Peninsula College still had a couple of inches of snow on the field Monday afternoon. The Port Angeles soccer girls are hoping to open their season tonight against East Jefferson, but that game may be postponed if the snow doesn't melt.
Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard (3) drives to the basket in the second half during an NCAA college basketball game against BYU Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Gonzaga among the nouveau powerhouses of the NCAA

College basketball’s bluebloods earned elite status through multiple championships, sustained traditions of winning and revolving doors of star players through their programs. A new group… Continue reading

  • Feb 15, 2021
  • By John Marshall The Associated Press
Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard (3) drives to the basket in the second half during an NCAA college basketball game against BYU Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press The late Kris “Sonic Guy” Brannon holds up a sign in support of adding an NBA team following the announcement of a new NHL hockey team in Seattle, at a celebratory party in December 2018, in Seattle.

NBA BASKETBALL: Rumor mill is rumbling that Sonics’ return is in the works

The dream that Sonics Guy believed in to his death, lives on. It’s more likely than at any other time since the Sonics… Continue reading

  • Feb 14, 2021
  • By Gregg Bell McClatchy News Service
Elaine Thompson/The Associated Press The late Kris “Sonic Guy” Brannon holds up a sign in support of adding an NBA team following the announcement of a new NHL hockey team in Seattle, at a celebratory party in December 2018, in Seattle.
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) walls off the court following their NCAA college basketball game against BYU Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: No. 1 Zags crack 100; improve to 20-0

Top-ranked Gonzaga has played five straight road games in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, but Drew Timme and… Continue reading

  • Feb 13, 2021
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) walls off the court following their NCAA college basketball game against BYU Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
FILE - Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger is congratulated and showered with sunflower seeds after his solo home run against the Houston Astros in the third inning of a baseball game in Seattle, in this Tuesday, June 4, 2019, file photo. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. He barely saw the field in 2019. He's nearly three years removed from being an All-Star, but the Mariners believe that with Haniger now full healthy he can once again be that caliber of player. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Haniger healthy, hopes to regain All-Star form for Seattle Mariners

Nearly three years have passed since Mitch Haniger was an All-Star and was viewed as part of the Seattle Mariners’ core. Then came… Continue reading

FILE - Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger is congratulated and showered with sunflower seeds after his solo home run against the Houston Astros in the third inning of a baseball game in Seattle, in this Tuesday, June 4, 2019, file photo. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. He barely saw the field in 2019. He's nearly three years removed from being an All-Star, but the Mariners believe that with Haniger now full healthy he can once again be that caliber of player. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Port Angeles resident Hal Force stands at the summit of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet), Africa's highest peak and the fourth-tallest mountain in the world. (Photo courtesy Hal Force)

OUTDOORS: Port Angeles’ Hal Force reaches summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak

Eleven different changes to his airline itinerary, 52-hours of one-way travel and thousands of feet of elevation gain eventually resulted in the… Continue reading

Port Angeles resident Hal Force stands at the summit of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet), Africa's highest peak and the fourth-tallest mountain in the world. (Photo courtesy Hal Force)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, make a statement after Wilson won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award at the NFL Honors ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 on Feb. 5 in Tampa, Fla. (Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)

NFL’s Man of the Year Russell Wilson a little miffed

Russell Wilson is tired of getting hit. Tired of taking sacks. His frustration is to the point that Wilson took time during a… Continue reading

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, make a statement after Wilson won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award at the NFL Honors ceremony as part of Super Bowl 55 on Feb. 5 in Tampa, Fla. (Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)
Port Angeles’ Lauren Larson, left, and Sequim’s Riley Pyeatt lead the pack at the beginning of a 2019 cross country race at Robin Hill Park. Prep runners can now run without masks at competitions after a change in state guidance. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)

PREP NOTEBOOK: Cross country runners now free to remove masks during races; spectator update

Prep cross country runners can all breathe a little bit easier as part of a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association update that will… Continue reading

Port Angeles’ Lauren Larson, left, and Sequim’s Riley Pyeatt lead the pack at the beginning of a 2019 cross country race at Robin Hill Park. Prep runners can now run without masks at competitions after a change in state guidance. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Seattle Storm forward Natasha Howard, right, drives past Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Phoenix on Sept. 3, 2019. The New York Liberty acquired Natasha Howard from the Seattle Storm as part of a three-team trade on Wednesday. (Ross D. Franklin/The Associated Press file photo)

Seattle Storm active on trade front

The reigning WNBA-champion Seattle Storm made a number of trades to refashion their roster Wednesday, including sending All-Star forward Natasha Howard to… Continue reading

  • Feb 11, 2021
  • By Doug Feinberg The Associated Press
  • State Sports
Seattle Storm forward Natasha Howard, right, drives past Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Phoenix on Sept. 3, 2019. The New York Liberty acquired Natasha Howard from the Seattle Storm as part of a three-team trade on Wednesday. (Ross D. Franklin/The Associated Press file photo)
John McMillan/NOAA A NOAA study published recently in the scientific journal Genes suggests that steelhead trapped by dams in the Elwha River maintained the genetic diversity to return to the sea.

OUTDOORS: Study — Trapped Elwha River steelhead maintained genetic diversity during isolation

A recent study, with its roots going back to 2004, has showed promising news that Elwha River steelhead trapped for a century… Continue reading

John McMillan/NOAA A NOAA study published recently in the scientific journal Genes suggests that steelhead trapped by dams in the Elwha River maintained the genetic diversity to return to the sea.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski (87), left, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate together after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

SUPER BOWL LV: A mix of the weird and the familiar

So much of it looked familiar — from the heartfelt rendering of the national anthem, to the silvery, star-studded… Continue reading

  • Feb 8, 2021
  • The Associated Press
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski (87), left, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate together after the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
Port Angeles High School Port Angeles senior cross country runner Kathryn Guttormsen competes at Klahowya on Saturday. It was the first prep sports competition since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all prep sports last March.

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Roughriders’ harriers get back on course

Port Angeles cross country runners put in some fast times at their first meet in over a year, but they fell short as… Continue reading

Port Angeles High School Port Angeles senior cross country runner Kathryn Guttormsen competes at Klahowya on Saturday. It was the first prep sports competition since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all prep sports last March.

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Sequim, East Jefferson harriers win first races

After nearly a 12-month-long hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, prep sports finally returned Saturday with a limited slate of cross country competitions… Continue reading

SWIMMING: Port Townsend opens pool for high school team

The City of Port Townsend is opening the Mountain View Pool for the Port Townsend High School swim team starting Monday. This… Continue reading

Pierre LaBossiere/Peninsula Daily News Brady Simis of Renton, left and Angela Smith of Buckley get started on their 10K runs at the Elwha Bridge Run Saturday morning.

RUN THE PENINSULA: Elwha Bridge Run attracts 221 runners

More than 220 people hungry for competition came out to run in heavily safeguarded conditions in the Elwha Bridge 5K/10K Run, the… Continue reading

Pierre LaBossiere/Peninsula Daily News Brady Simis of Renton, left and Angela Smith of Buckley get started on their 10K runs at the Elwha Bridge Run Saturday morning.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Lauren Larson of Port Angeles nears the finish line to win the girls cross-country race in a three-way competition with Olympic and North Mason on Wednesday at Lincoln Park in Port Angeles.

CROSS COUNTRY: Much lost, but much gained for elite Port Angeles High School runner Lauren Larson

Port Angeles Roughrider Lauren Larson possibly had some state championships taken away from her by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, over the past… Continue reading

Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Lauren Larson of Port Angeles nears the finish line to win the girls cross-country race in a three-way competition with Olympic and North Mason on Wednesday at Lincoln Park in Port Angeles.
Run the Peninsula Sue Stednek of Sequim competes in the 2020 Elwha Bridge Run. The Run the Peninsula series returns Saturday with the 2021 Elwha Bridge Run.

RUN THE PENINSULA: Elwha Bridge Run returns Saturday

The second annual Run the Peninsula Elwha Bridge Run 5K/10K along the Olympic Discovery Trail will take place from 9:30 a.m. to… Continue reading

Run the Peninsula Sue Stednek of Sequim competes in the 2020 Elwha Bridge Run. The Run the Peninsula series returns Saturday with the 2021 Elwha Bridge Run.