Courtesy of Melanie Magnusen

Two Unalaska athletes set world records at the Native Youth Olympics state competition in Anchorage last week.

Dylan Magnusen set a new record in the kneel jump, leaping 67 inches. Steven Ugale’s record was in the toe kick, which measures forward jump. Ugale jumped 96 inches, or 8 feet, beating the world record by four inches. That record had been on the books since 1980. 

Unalaska’s Steven Ugale broke a 33-year-old world record in the toe kick at the Native Youth Olympics state competition in Anchorage this week.

Unalaska’s NYO -- or Native Youth Olympics -- team made a strong showing at a tournament in Bethel this weekend.  They competed against more than 15 teams from Dillingham and the Kuskokwim Delta at Bethel Regional High School, and took gold in five individual events.

Steven Ugale took first place and Rizalie Rollin tied for first in the one-foot high kick. Ugale also won first place in the toe kick, which measures an athlete’s forward jump and requires a steady landing on both feet.

It was a busy weekend of basketball in Unalaska, with three teams competing in the Southwest 2A regional tournament.

The Raiders duked it out against Dillingham and Bristol Bay in front of packed crowds for a chance to go to the state championships.

On Thursday, the boys team lost to the Dillingham Wolverines, 52-41, while the Lady Raiders led during their entire game against the Bristol Bay Angels, winning 41-32.

The Unalaska Raiders basketball teams played against Sand Point this weekend, with the girls at home and the boys away. Coach Kevin Ley says playing against the less experienced Sand Point teams was a good opportunity for the junior varsity teams and some of the younger varsity players to shine.

“We were just trying to make good games, and get some of our younger kids as much experience as possible.”

The Unalaska Raiders basketball team played two charged home games against Dillingham this weekend. Unalaska City School principal Jim Wilson says both teams played with lots of energy, defensively and offensively.

“They were close games, hard-fought games, hotly contested games, and you know, both teams just really did a great job of playing hard and I think both teams got better over the course of the weekend.”

The Unalaska Raiders varsity basketball teams played four games against South Anchorage's JV teams this weekend in front of packed bleachers at the high school. The Raider boys won both of their games, while the Lady Raiders cleaned up on Friday night, but lost by a narrow margin on Saturday.

The final scores for the boys game were 57-39 on Friday, and 47-31 on Saturday, while the final scores for the girls were 46-33 on Friday and 32-34 on Saturday.

Unalaska’s volleyball and wrestling teams competed in the state championships over the weekend. The Lady Raiders came in fifth overall, losing to Su Valley and Klawock, but coming out ahead against Chevak.

The Raiders wrestling team sent four boys to states. Three of them placed fourth in their individual weight classes, with junior Connor McConnell making it to the semi-finals.

An Unalaska wrestler will be competing in the state semi-finals Friday night. Connor McConnell will be going up against a Mt. Edgecumbe wrestler in the 220 pound weight class. Coach Steve Gregory says it’s going to be a tough match.

“You know, he’s got a 50-50 chance. He’s going to wrestle a guy with two arms and two legs - that’s what I tell him. And he’s been wrestling pretty good [sic] so far, so we just want to keep it going.”