Here are our favorite sports stories on the dramatic wins, heated competitions and the Alaskans we lost in 2022

Jan. 6—Alaskans dominate at national cross country skiing championships, Jan. 4

Members of the Alaska Pacific University ski team represented the 49th state, sweeping the top podium spots in the distance events at the U.S. Cross Country Championships. Scott Patterson and Rosie Brennan each won national titles and had teammates finish close behind.

Fairbanks curler Vicky Persinger qualifies for the Olympics as part of Team USA, Jan. 22

The Fairbanks Curling Club was like a second home to Vicky Persinger, who grew up playing the sport. She was part of state championship junior teams throughout her youth. So there was understandably a lot of community pride when Persinger qualified for the Olympics as part of Team USA mixed doubles team.

Houston hockey goes from worst to first, Feb. 6

After not winning a single game in the 2020-2021 season, the Hawks made a turnaround for the ages when they captured their eighth Division II state title in program history with a 4-2 win over Palmer to cap off the 2021-2022 season. In the 2022-23 season, they are currently undefeated at 14-0-1, are riding a 10-game winning streak and are poised to defend their title.

Alaska skiers come up short but perform well at Winter Olympics, Feb. 20

Brennan came heartbreakingly close to earning a medal in cross-country skiing at the Olympic games in Beijing, China, but was five seconds short of winning bronze. Earlier in the month, Hannah Halvorsen just missed out on qualifying for the medal round but it was still a momentous occasion because of all that she had to overcome after suffering life-threatening injuries just two years prior.

Anchorage Wolverines' Bohdan Panasenko played with a heavy heart, March 2

Anchorage Wolverines forward Bohdan Panasenko, a Ukrainian national, watched with trepidation as his home country was attacked by Russia last year. His mother Inna and 14-year-old brother Yaroslav fled the country in the hopes of reuniting with the Wolverines player while his father stayed to volunteer to serve the country in the war.

Five seniors at East set a historic winning streak, March 9

The starting five on the Bettye Davis East High basketball team were seniors whose bond started well before they joined the Thunderbirds. The team set a new mark for most consecutive in-state wins in Alaska's 4A division, falling one game short of a perfect season.

Brent Sass takes Iditarod title, March 15

Brent Sass had won the Yukon Quest three times when he embarked on the 50th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March. Until 2022, the sport's greatest race had eluded the Eureka musher. But Sass held off Dallas Seavey to earn the 2022 title in what he called "a dream come true."

Barrow basketball star reconnects with heritage in Hawaii, March 21

Kamaka Hepa's decision to transfer from the University of Texas to the University of Hawaii was about more than just going somewhere he could be more playing time. The Utqiagvik, Alaska, native is of Hawaiian descent on his father's side and wanted to reconnect with that side of his family lineage. Not only has he done that, but he is also enjoying the best stretch of his collegiate career on the court, averaging career highs in points (11.3) and rebounds (6.6).

Houston teen channels tragedy into strength, March 23

Hunter Jefferson's mother unexpectedly passed away three days after signing him up for basketball as a freshman and as a senior, Jefferson helped lead the Houston Hawks to the No. 1 seed in the Division II state basketball tournament. His family's sudden tragedy when he was just 14 forced the oldest of six to be a rock for his younger siblings. He still managed to excel on the court and in the classroom, graduating with honors last spring.

South stuns East for state title, March 26

East entered the Division I title game riding a 52-game winning streak against instate opponents. But a last-second shot by Zachary Williamson stunned the Thunderbirds and snapped the streak. The Anchorage Christian School girls team dominated in 4A, while Nome-Beltz (boys) and Barrow (girls) won in 3A. Tikigaq (2A girls), Ninilchik (2A boys), Toksook Bay (1A boys) and Newhalen (1A girls) also won state basketball titles.

Anchorage coach leads college to national hockey title, April 20

Almost a decade and a half after his promising future as an athlete ended due to a rare medical condition, Anchorage's David Carle guided the University of Denver men's hockey team to a Division I national title in just his fourth year at the helm of the program. Earlier in the month, Anchorage's Fred Chmiel helped the University of South Carolina women's basketball team do the same for the second time in his career.

Trailblazing student-athlete helps grow the sport she loves, May 15

Before graduating from West Anchorage High School with honors, Athena Clendaniel starred as bright in the classroom as she did on the mound for the Eagles' boys varsity baseball team. A passionate advocate for the growth of sports among young girls and women throughout the state, she is now in the second semester of her freshman year at Princeton.

South baseball finishes second straight undefeated season, June 4

The spring of the Wolverines continued when the boys baseball team repeated as Division I state champions by completing back-to-back undefeated seasons. The South girls softball team won consecutive titles as well even though they didn't go undefeated all year. Both teams were led by Gatorade Players of the Year, Curtis Herbert in baseball and Emily McCutcheon in softball.

Tragedy and time off gives teen swimmer new perspective, June 6

After helping his high school swimming team claim a state title as a sophomore, Anchorage's Tavner Wisdom lost his mother the very next day but continued to compete in the sport they both loved. Following a gap year after graduating in the spring of 2021, he signed his national letter of intent to compete collegiately with a new outlook on life.

Mother running with a purpose, July 3

Eagle River's Vanessa Aniteye made her return to competitive running in 2022 after stepping away in 2019 and had the best track and field season of her collegiate career thanks to a new source of motivation. In the time that she stepped away from the sport, she became a wife and mother, and her incredible return included claiming the 400-meter title at the 2022 GNAC outdoor track and field championships and being on a top-10 finishing relay team at the NCAA Division II outdoor track and field championships.

King of Mount Marathon, July 4

At 42 years old, Max King shocked himself and countless other racers when he finished first in the men's division at the 94th running of Mount Marathon. The native of Bend, Oregon, had won the race before in 2019 when he was in his late 30s but actually set a new best time by two seconds (43:37-43:39). World champion mountain runner Allie McLaughlin, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, shattered the previous record in the women's division by finishing more than five minutes ahead of the rest of her competition.

Southeast Alaska teen featured on ESPN, July 19

After being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December 2020, Joseph Tagaban, a 15-year-old from Petersburg, was featured on the ESPN program "My Wish." With the help of the Make-A-Wish foundation, he was able to meet his favorite basketball player, four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

Anchorage youth boxer wins Junior Olympics, July 21

At just 14 years old, Maliyah Schmid became the second Alaskan in less than a decade and the first female in state history to finish first at the Junior Olympics in boxing. It marked her third national championship and the most significant title of her promising young career thus far.

Anchorage teen athletes pass away in car fire, Aug. 25

One of the most tragic events from the past year was a car crash that involved a drunken driver and cost the lives of a teenage couple. Amelia Nowak and Derek Duerr were both former high school athletes getting ready to attend fall semester at their respective colleges when they died in a car accident in Anchorage.

Alaska mushing legend Lance Mackey passes away, Sept. 8

The four-time Iditarod champion was known for his toughness and grit in the face of life-threatening adversity as much if not even more than his excellence in the sport. He suffered from several maladies over the years after being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2001 and passed at the age of 52 and is survived by his parents and two children.

Core four upheld gold standard in swimming, Sept. 14

The Dimond girls swimming team continued its dominance in the Last Frontier high school lanes by claiming their seventh straight state championship. Leading the way for the Lynx was their dominant relay team known as their "core four" who bounced back from getting upset by South at CIC regionals to winning both the 400 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay at the state championship meet.

Aaron Judge's summer in Alaska, Oct. 5

Aaron Judge won the AL MVP in 2022 as the New York Yankees star set an AL record with 62 home runs. But before Judge became one of baseball's greatest hitters, he was a star for Anchorage Glacier Pilots. NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt also spent a summer in the Alaska Baseball League, with the Anchorage Bucs.

Homer wins first state football championship, Oct. 15

The Mariners didn't have star senior quarterback Carter Tennison in the lineup when they faced the top-ranked Houston Hawks in a 46-0 shutout in the regular season. However, in the Division III state title game, his presence and the team's overall belief in themselves proved to be the difference in pulling off a shocking upset over their heavily favored and previously undefeated foes. That same day, the Lathrop Malemutes claimed their second-straight state title in the Division II championship game over rival Soldotna Stars.

Nash leads Colony first state football title in program history, Oct. 22

After coming up short in their first two title game appearances, the Colony High School football team avenged both of their regular season losses that came in lopsided fashion in the postseason on their way to winning the school's first ever Division I championship. Leading the charge for the Knights all season was two-way star Jack Nash, who was a dynamic playmaker on both sides of the ball as their starting quarterback and free safety.

UAA volleyball team breaks record in historic season, Nov. 6

The University of Alaska Anchorage volleyball team had one the best regular seasons in program history in 2022. The Seawolves were nationally ranked, went 17-1 against conference competition and 27-3 overall. In their last home game of the season, they broke the Division II attendance record for a single game when 3,888 families, friends and classmates packed the house at the Alaska Airlines Center for their straight-sets victory over Central Washington. The main driving forces during their success all year were the plays of star seniors Eve Stephens and Ellen Floyd and the guidance of longtime head coach Chris Green, who resigned after their surprising early exit in the NCAA DII West Regional Championships.

Future of high school gymnastics could be in jeopardy, Nov. 7

With aging consolidated equipment, district budget cuts lurking around every corner and a decline in participation in recent years, the sport appears to be at a crossroads as presently constructed. Lack of access to the few facilities where practices and competitions are held is another deterrent for some possible interested students.

Anchorage teen pulls double duty at goalie, Nov. 23

Dimond high school junior Zoie Campbell had already established herself as one of the best girls hockey goalies in the state as a member of Dimond/West girls varsity team and Team Alaska. However, her dominance doesn't stop there as she splits her time starting for the Lynx boys varsity team as well.

Depth carries South to Division I state wrestling title, Dec. 17

After finishing as runners-up to Colony in two of the last three years, the South Anchorage High School wrestling team finished first at the Division state wrestling championship tournament. The Wolverines were carried to their first title since 2018 not by having more individual champions than any other team but because their depth dominated in the consolation bracket courtesy of the "backside boys."

UAA basketball player overcomes two debilitating setbacks, Dec. 31

After collapsing in his first open gym session as a Seawolf, University of Alaska Anchorage junior Tyson Gilbert would find out that he was born with a congenital heart defect. He elected to have open heart surgery and just when he was nearing the end of that road to recovery, he suffered a ruptured Achilles. He's returned to the court in the 2022-23 season with a fresh outlook for the Seawolves.