Winner of The News Tribune’s high school girls team coach of the year
Voting is now closed for The News Tribune’s high school girls team coach of the year for 2024-25 high school seasons. Thanks to everyone who voted and supported local athletics.
The News Tribune’s high school girls team coach of the year is:
Katie Hyppa, Sumner basketball
Hyppa coached Sumner to a 25-5 record and saved the best for last, guiding the Spartans to an upset road win over top-seeded Davis in the 4A state tournament regional round and a run to the 4A state championship game, collecting wins over Camas and Woodinville before falling to Davis in a rematch in the title game.
The poll is below. You can read about all of the candidates and their accomplishments below.
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Taylor Bautista, Curtis volleyball — Guided the Vikings to a perfect season, the 4A SPSL title, District 3/4 title, and 4A state championship. Curtis won all 27 matches and dropped only seven sets all season.
Gary Griffin, Peninsula wrestling — Coached the Seahawks to a second-place team finish at Mat Classic XXXVI at the Tacoma Dome, just 7.5 points behind first-place Kelso. Mira Sonnen (145 pounds), Bailey Parker (155) and Lindsey Shipp (170) all won individual titles for the Seahawks.
Frank Hankel, Curtis soccer — Coached Curtis to a 17-3-2 record and watched his team find some magic late, advancing to the 4A state tournament semifinals with wins over Camas and 4A SPSL peer Curtis. Took home a third-place finish with a 1-0 win over Issaquah in the third/fourth place game.
Mylea Hughes, Cascade Christian volleyball — Guided the Cougars to a 25-3 record, the 1A Nisqually title and a run to the 1A state championship game. Cascade Christian collected wins over Seton Catholic, King’s and La Center in the state tournament, before falling to top-seeded Chelan in the title game.
Katie Hyppa, Sumner basketball — Coached Sumner to a 25-5 record and saved the best for last, guiding the Spartans to an upset road win over top-seeded Davis in the 4A state tournament regional round and a run to the 4A state championship game, collecting wins over Camas and Woodinville before falling to Davis in a rematch in the title game.
Mike Hawkins, Rogers softball — Coached the Rams to a 25-5 record and saved the best for last, guiding the No. 10 seed all the way to the 4A state tournament championship game, picking up wins over No. 7 Hanford, No. 15 Lake Stevens and No. 3 Issaquah before falling to top-seeded Skyview in the title game.
Jackie Meyer, North Thurston volleyball and basketball — Coached her teams to deep postseason runs in two sports during the 2024-25 school year, leading the volleyball team to a 27-2 record and the 3A state championship game, collecting wins over Bellevue, White River and Mount Spokane in the state tournament. On the basketball court, guided North Thurston to an undefeated 3A PSL title (20-0) and District 3/4 championship in between a 28-game win streak.
Robi Turley, Sumner soccer — Coached the Spartans to a 15-3-3 record and the 4A District 3/4 title, beating 4A SPSL peer Curtis in the championship game. The Spartans advanced to the 4A state tournament quarterfinals.
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 1:19 PM.
