It is time to spring forward to another season of track and field, baseball, golf, softball, boys soccer and girls tennis in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Several teams will return to the field or court after hibernating over the winter.
The 2024–25 spring season is going to showcase some talented prep athletes in every sport. The Northwest Conference will headline some of the top baseball players in the state.
Baseball
Mount Vernon, which placed second in the 3A state tournament last season, returns with most of its roster. The Bulldogs will be led by Xavier Neyens, the reigning NWC MVP and No. 8-ranked MLB Draft prospect for the Class of 2025.
Lynden, Anacortes and Meridian will try to dethrone the Bulldogs and win the conference title this season. The Lions placed third at 2A state last season but lost three of their four all-conference selections. They are eager to reload with some talented underclassmen. Anacortes placed fourth at 2A state last season and will be led by Jake Andrews and Jack Metcalf, one of the top batteries in the league. Meridian, which placed second at the 1A state tourney last season, is led by hard-throwing ace Jonah Aase.
Golf
The Meridian boys and girls golf teams will look to improve from a successful season last year. Meridian boys finished second at 1A state as a team last year and believe they can win the title this season. The girls team will try to take the league title from a talented Oak Harbor roster.
Softball
In softball, Sedro-Woolley won the 2A state tourney last season but has moved up to Class 3A this year. Burlington-Edison returns all three of its all-conference selections after placing second in the conference with a 17-8 record.
Despite finishing near the middle of the conference standings, Ferndale returns Offensive Player of the Year Kaelin Blakley and a few other talented players. Mount Baker and Nooksack Valley also return several all-conference selections and hope to improve this season.
Boys soccer
Last season, Sehome boys placed second in the 2A state tournament while Squalicum was knocked out in the quarterfinals. After losing a lot of seniors on each roster, the Mariners and Storm are hoping to repeat their success with the underclassmen moving into starting roles. Meridian boys will also look to build on their 1A state tourney appearance from last season.
Girls tennis
Bellingham’s Kira Carlson and Ella Morrow will try to defend their 2A state doubles title they won last season. The Bellingham duo placed second in 2023 and are returning for their senior seasons with their eyes on another gold medal. Lynden will try to win its third team title in program history after finishing undefeated in duals last year.
Track and field
Last track and field season, four girls teams and three boys teams placed 15th or better at the state tournament. Anacortes boys led the way for local teams by tying with Columbia River for the 2A team title with 65 points. Lynden, Sehome and Bellingham girls placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively, at state.
This season, Anacortes, Bellingham, Lynden, Lynden Christian and Sehome will all return at least one competitor who won an individual state title last year.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
