Coupeville Middle School track team posts big wins, personal records at Sultan meet

Eighteen Coupeville Middle School athletes left Sultan with at least one first-place finish, giving the Wolves a road result that says as much about the program’s future as it does about one afternoon on the oval. Against Sultan and Northshore Christian Academy, Coupeville piled up wins and personal records, a strong early-season sign for a team that is only a few weeks into a six-meet schedule leading to the Cascade League Championships.

That kind of spread matters in a middle school program, especially for a Coupeville group that serves grades 6 through 8 and is already producing results across the lineup. With 18 different athletes reaching the top of the podium, the Wolves were not leaning on one or two stars. They were showing the kind of depth that coaches hope turns into confidence, habit, and high school readiness by the time this class reaches Coupeville High in the next few years.

The Sultan meet came after an opening stretch that already hinted at what this team might be. When Coupeville hosted Sultan and Northshore Christian Academy at Mickey Clark Stadium on April 29, 25 Coupeville athletes earned victories. Seventh grader Les Queen won all four events he entered, while eighth grader River Simpson won three events and pushed his career total to 15 wins. Those results, followed by another strong showing in Sultan, give Jon Gabelein and Kelly Powers a roster that appears to be growing quickly under pressure and getting comfortable competing both at home and on the road.

That road experience also matters in Island County, where small-school athletes often have to make the most of limited numbers and early development. Coupeville Middle School opened practice April 14 and is working through a compact season that ends with league championships, so every meet carries added weight. Traveling to Sultan, facing a school district with about 2,092 students and a private Everett program in Northshore Christian Academy, gave the Wolves a broader test and a clear measure of where they stand.

For Coupeville families, the takeaway is bigger than a single meet sheet. A middle school team with 18 separate first-place finishers, plus another opener that produced 25 wins, is building a pipeline that could shape the high school track program soon. The Wolves are not just collecting early-season medals. They are building a base.