Dickinson State University baseball player Sawyer Bryner from Petersburg earned Alaska Athlete of the Week honors after setting a school record with seven stolen bases in a 9-6 win over Mayville State in North Dakota.
In the first, fifth and sixth innings he stole second and third base, and in the third inning he stole second and went to third on a passed ball.
The senior outfielder finished the doubleheader with nine stolen bases and leads Dickinson State in that department on a 17-for-18 clip (.944), including the last 13 in a row.
Also receiving votes:
- Curtis Beck – The Fairbanks sprinter opened his outdoor season with a pair of wins and lifetime bests at the Pacific Open. The UAF sophomore and West Valley grad blazed to 21.81 seconds in the 200 and 48.37 in the 400. Both times rank top-10 in Alaska history, among known performers for wind-legal times, at No. 6 (400) and No. 9 (200).
- Chugiak High boys sprint relay team – The Chugiak boys won the 4×100 relay at the Russ Edwards Big C Relays in a blistering 43.44 seconds. The time demolished the meet record (43.74) set by SoHi last spring and the Dome record (43.70), held jointly by the 2009 Bartlett and 2023 East teams. The Mustangs’ quartet also tied the seventh-fastest time in Alaska boys history, and finished just 0.08 seconds shy of the school record.
- Bella Connally – The Juneau Douglas High School sophomore sprinter won the 100m at the Russ Edwards Big C Relays in 12.68. The defending state 100m champion was crowned crowned Fastest Alaskan — a title given to the winners of the 100-meter dash.
- Gavan Hennigan – Hennigan from Ireland didn’t make the 30-day cutoff deadline but kept on walking anyway to reach Nome in 32 days as an unofficial finisher in the Iditarod Trail Invitational’s 1,000-mile race from Knik to Nome.
- Blake Kullberg – The West High freshman scored seven goals in the six games, for the national runner-ups. Anchorage North Stars 14U team at the USA Hockey youth national championship.
- Novie McCabe – The APU skier from Anchorage won a sprint finish to claim a national championship in the 40-kilometer freestyle race Sunday at the U.S. Spring National Championships in Craftsbury, Vermont.
- Oliver Morris – The relative Anchorage Wolverines newcomer from Redondo Beach, Calif. mastered “The Michigan” for the game’s first goal. The rarified lacrosse-style goal, Morris’s second score with Anchorage helped the Wolverines to a 3-1 NAHL playoff victory over Wisconsin.
- Kendall Park (St. Loius), Mayella Krause (Brazil), Ryan Wanless (Sioux Falls) and Erick Basset (France) – Dubbed the Fantastic Four, the bikers teamed up to cross the Nome finish line together to share the Iditarod Trail Invitational’s 1,000-mile overall championship.
- Gus Schumacher – The Anchorage skier won the 40K skate race in a sprint finish and placed third in the classic sprint to leave the U.S. Spring National Championships with two medals in two individual races in Craftsbury, Vermont.
- Essence Slate – The Fairbanks sprinter placed runner-up in the 200 at the Adidas Trojan Challenge, clocking a lifetime best 24.07. The Mount Olive junior and Lathrop High grad moved into fourth in Alaska history, regardless of conditions.
- Jeremy Swayman – the Anchorage goaltender made 21 saves for the Boston Bruines in a 4-3 shootout win over Columbus. The former South High netminder has only one regulation loss in his last seven starts, going 5-1-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.
The Alaska Athlete of the Week is selected by a panel each Monday. If you have an athlete of the week recommendation you can email it to info@alaskasportshall.org.
