The Wenatchee High School Sports Medicine Team placed second at the 21st annual Washington Career and Technical Sports Medicine Association (WCTSMA) State Championship in Spokane.

At the competition, WHS set a state record as the only school to place in the top four for 21 consecutive years, 16 of those years placing in the top two. WHS also qualified to compete in the National Sports Medicine Competition.

The competition was held April 24-25 and featured 45 schools with more than 700 students.

The Sports Medicine program at WHS was created by current adviser Dale Blair, who also co-founded the competition the WCTSMA State Championship.

Blair explained the process of the competition, saying there were 14 “varsity spots,” with six students participating in sports medicine, two in medical terminology, two in anatomy/physiology, two in CPR, and two students in the Program Admissions Category.

This year, the top place from WHS went to junior Brenda Castaneda, who placed third in the varsity sports medicine category. Castaneda has been involved in Sports Med since her sophomore year.

“I was in shock,” Castaneda said, about placing so high. “I was so scared because we had the best students up there [during the result reading] but when I went up there for third place, I was so happy.”

Castaneda explained the oral/practical exam event in which she had the best in the state. “We have one judge and then the model. During two 100-question tests, they took us out of the test room one by one for the practical.”

The other students who placed in the top 15 for the oral/practical event were junior Christian Brandt-Sims in eighth, senior Mark Fisher in tenth, junior Evie Hyde in 12th, and junior Danika Kapeikis in 15th.

In other categories, senior Kaela Kapeikis won first in the Program Application category, earning a perfect score. Senior Teresa Bendito placed sixth in this category. For the anatomy and physiology category, junior Julia Jobe placed eighth.

“I really enjoy Sports Med,” Brandt-Sims said. “I’m really interested in the medical field, and as an athlete, you don’t realize the work of sports medicine. For me, being both has given me a new perspective and great respect for those on the sidelines.”

In addition to the varsity squad, WHS also competed in the junior varsity competition, with four students placing in the Top 10 including junior Jack Gavin (fourth); and junior Avery Jones, sophomore Shea Frantz, and sophomore Sabrina Zhu (who tied for seventh place).

Senior Lexie Heuchert, Kapeikis, and junior Kirsten Walker won the leadership category in the poster competition, while juniors Sophie Marshall, Jessica Martin, and Brandon Thompson won the nutrition category.

Blair cited the reason for the program’s success being the students. “We have interested students,” he said. “They care about our program and they’re extremely hard working.”
WHS’s presence will be felt beyond the competition. Sports Medicine students junior Kayli Brown and Jobe were selected to be the 2015-2016 WCTSMA Student Board of Directors, and Bendito was selected as a recipient of the WCTSMA scholarship.