Wenatchee High School’s Sports Medicine team won the National Championship in the AACI National Sports Medicine Competition this year in the large-school division and by 0.33 of a point overall with a score of 74.95.

This is the second time WHS has placed in the top two, winning the competition in 2012 and placing second in 2013.

“We won by three-10ths of a point,” Athletic Trainer and Team Coach Dale Blair said. “If you go back and look at our top [scores] I think that if anyone had been much lower we wouldn’t have won. It truly was a team effort.”

“I’m glad we won,” said senior Wendy Gong, who was the leader of the team by placing fifth individually and heading a list of six WHS All-Americans. “More importantly, we beat Issaquah.”

Competitors placing in the top 25 were awarded All-American status. From WHS, they were Gong, placing fifth, senior Daniel Poulson, placing sixth, sophomore Brenda Castaneda, placing ninth, senior Megan Carroll, placing 10th, and seniors Meghan Johnson and Elizabeth Sitio, tying for 14th.

The written test is done through computer testing and online submissions. Fifteen students took the online test, and the top eight scores counted for the team.

Team members placing in the top 10 also completed FaceTimelive video streamingpracticals with judges. These students were asked to splint a wrist, palpate the coracoid process, locate the C5 dermatome, tape an ankle, and perform the drop arm test. This added into individual scores overall.

“I’m really happy and proud of what we accomplished,” Sitio said.