The Thunderbird athletes were hard at work throughout the spring quarter. With the softball team and the men’s golf team both taking swings throughout their respective seasons, let’s take a look at how both teams ended their 2026 season.

First, the softball team successfully completed the entire 2026 slate of games. And while they might have struggled to rack up the wins, just successfully completing the season is a victory in itself, considering they are just two years out from having to bow out of the 2024 season entirely to completely rebuild the team.

The team ended eighth in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) North Region, with a 2-34 overall record, going 2-26 in conference matchups. Their only wins on the season came in an April 29 match against Skagit Valley College, edging out a 7-6 victory, and the Thunderbirds besting Shoreline Community College 13-7 on May 3.

Some standouts for the season included: sophomore pitcher Hannah Cox who pitched for both winning games; sophomore Kayanna Shaw who ended fifth in the NWAC individual standings for stolen bases, tallying 23 on the season; and freshman Maggie Carvo who led the team with a stellar .400 batting average.

With half of the team being freshman and eligible to return next year, and under the leadership of Head Coach Kevin Whitehouse, Highline looks forward to a bright future next season for the Thunderbirds.

With Head Coach Steve Turcotte at the helm, the men’s golf team competed mightily throughout the spring quarter. They ended the season ranking ninth in the NWAC, which kept them from competing this year in the NWAC Championships, where only the top five teams qualify.

In the Southwest Oregon League Match, played on April 14-15, Highline finished eighth in team rankings, going +94 (+42 in round one and +52 in round two). In the individual standings, sophomore Brighton Brown and sophomore Josh Henderson tied for 24th place, with a two-round total of 162 (+18).

During the South Puget Sound League Match, on April 19-20, the Thunderbirds placed ninth in the team competition, with the team going +72 for the match (+34 in round one and +38 in round two). In individual standings, Henderson and sophomore Prisco Vacca tied for 24th place, tallying a score of 158 over two rounds (+14).

On April 26-27, Highline teed off at the Olympic League Match, where they once again placed ninth in the team competition, recording a +82 (+41 in both rounds). Henderson tied for 15th in the individual competition with a two-round total of 155 (+11).

To wrap-up the season, the Thunderbird’s final competition of the season was at the Skagit Valley Invitational on May 3-4, where the team placed fifth, going +93 over the two rounds (+48 for round one and +45 for round two). Brown finished sixth among all competitors with a two-round score of 155 (+11), and he put an exclamation point on the season by scoring a hole-in-one on the 16th hole.

Our Thunderbird athletes have been quietly competing to represent Highline and make us all proud. Thank you for all of your hard work, effort, and grit that comes out in every practice and in every competition. Congratulations to all of our spring athletes for the completion of a successful season!