Kwig Eagles claim District NYO title

The LKSD All Star NYO Team and their coaches will be competing at the State Native Youth Olympics meet this week, April 25-27, in Anchorage. photo by Tommy Bayayok

by Tommy Wells

The Kwigillingok Eagles collected 40 points from Merlin White and 30 more from Chantal Snyder this past weekend and raced to the top spot in the District NYO meet in Tuntutuliak. The Eagles’ 12 members scored 166 points in 13 boys’ and girls’ events and edged out Kipnuk by 29.33 points.

Tununak, behind a sensational effort from Reann Lincoln and Amanda Kanrilak, placed third. Kongiganak and Akula rounded out the top five spots.

White highlighted Kwig’s efforts in the boys’ division. He won the 2-foot high kick and scissors broad jump competitions, and also finished second in the one-foot and Alaska high kicks.

Kwig teammate Arnold Phillip won the Alaska high kick with a mark of 85 inches. White finished at 84.

Akula’s Eric Tinker took the top spot in the one-foot with a height of 103 inches. White was second at 102.

In the two-foot, White hit a height of 87 inches. He won the scissors with a mark of 33 feet, 1 inch.

Phillip also emerged as a two-time winner for Kwig. He edged out Kipnuk’s Harberg Paul in the finals of the Indian Stick Pull event.

Paul, who tied White for the top individual scoring mark in the boys’ division with 40 points, also won a pair of events. He took top honors in the Eskimo Stick Pull with a win over Kwig’s Garrett Amik and, later, won the grueling Wrist Carry title with a mark of 44.85 seconds.

Chefornak’s Henry Kanuk was second in the wrist carry standings at 32.85.

Kwig’s Nalon John and Kipnuk’s Tristan Anaver also picked up gold medals. John finished atop the boys’ scissors standings, while Anaver won the seal hop with a distance of 167-1 ¾. Anaver’s seal hop is within striking distance of the 188’ foot record for the boys, set in 2015 by Kipnuk’s Sigfurd Dock.

Kipnuk’s Iris Paul also notched a win, taking first in the one-arm reach.

Akula’s Eric Tinker won the kneel jump and 1-foot high kick events.

Snyder helped the Kwigillingok girls roll up 64 points in the girls’ division by powering her way to 30 points. Snyder finished in the top five in four events, including first in the 1-arm reach with a mark of 58.

She finished second to Kanrilak in the 2-foot high kick standings, and second to Kipnuk’s Miranda Paul in the kneel jump.

Karli Amik also garnered a win, taking top honors in the Alaska high kick.

The stars of the girls’ division were Lincoln and Kanrilak. The only two members of the Tununak girls’ squad, they both scored in multiple events and rolled up 58 points,

Lincoln, who is battling her way back from an injury during basketball season, scored 28 points, including 10 by winning the girls’ scissors broad jump. She was also second in the 1-foot and third in the Alaska high kicks.

Kanrilak finished as the girls’ high-point scorer with 32 points. She won 2-foot high kick and placed second in the Alaska high kick and scissors.

Kipnuk’s Anna Kashatok, Cherilyn Dock, Trinsten Dock joined Paul as gold-medal winners. Kashatok won the seal hop with a distance of 118-8 ¾. Cherilyn edged Nunapitchuk’s Miriam Enoch for the Indian stick pull honors, while Trinsten slipped past Nunapitchuk’s Nikki Nick for the Eskimo stick pull title.

Chefornak’s Isis Ivie won the 1-foot high kick.