Alaska
Alaska sports notebook: Juneau’s Kai Ciambor named Gatorade Player of the Year for boys soccer and UAA basketball teams continue to build
Being named Gatorade Player of the Year was a goal that motivated Juneau-Douglas soccer player Kai Ciambor since he first laid his eyes on the banners of the previous recipients of the prestigious honor hanging off the school’s balcony. This past Thursday, the recently graduated senior was named Alaska’s 2025 honoree for boys soccer.
“Now that my four years of high school soccer is now over, I understand that this award is so much more than a personal accolade,” Ciambor said. “Winning an award like this wouldn’t be possible without having teammates that day-in and day-out provided an environment that remained competitive and uplifting, and a coaching staff that sparked the growth within our program.”
The senior midfielder recorded 16 goals and 12 assists in his final season and led the Crimson Bears to the Division I state semifinals, where they narrowly fell to eventual state champion West. He was also named Railbelt Conference Player of the Year and finished his career with 64 goals, 36 assists and two Division II state titles in back-to-back years from 2023-2024.
“Kai is a player that makes every type of impact on a game,” West Valley head coach Damon Crutcher said in a statement. “You can point to his ridiculous foot speed, ball-handling ability or his technical release of the ball. On top of that, Kai has a brilliant in-game IQ.”
Off the pitch, Ciambor maintained a 3.82 GPA in the classroom and volunteered locally as part of a community beautification project as well as packaging food for the homeless. In the fall he will he taking his talents to play for the men’s soccer team at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
“I’m grateful for the trust they all had in me and my aspirations, and I am also thankful for the Gatorade committee and coaches statewide that made this goal possible,” Ciambor said.
Switching from the pitch to the gridiron, one of the state’s top football recruits has already found his new home at the next level with another year in high school left to spare. On Thursday, Bartlett star defensive tackle Deuce Alailefaleula announced his commitment to play football at Boise State University, a Division I institution competing in the Mountain West Conference at the FBS level which is the highest of the NCAA subdivision classifications.
I am honored to announce my commitment to Boise state . I can’t be more excited to wear that blue and orange . Thank you for the man above for guiding me to the right place to pursue my football dreams .I am pumped to call this place HOME 🔵🟠. #9N07 #BleedBlue #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/5BIfsONmSH
— Deuce Alailefaleula (@ucedeuce_55) June 12, 2025
“What sold me was how they are going to develop me as a player and also as a man outside of football,” Alailefaleula said. “I felt the connection with all the coaching staff like if I was talking to friends and family but when we (were) talking about business it was all ears and eyes from there.”
Alailefaleula had been in talks with the coaching staff since January and through further conversations, he said “my heart just felt like this is the place for me.” One of his hopes is to create a pipeline of top talent from the 49th state to the Broncos program.
“I’m all about helping getting Alaska on the map,” Alailefaleula said. “It was hard getting eyes on me from Alaska because we get overlooked so much that kids move out of state to get looked at. I just proved that it is possible and I can say I’m one of many.”
Alailefaleula is far from the first elite talent from Alaska to make it to the highest level of college football, he’s just the latest. Others in recent years who have trailblazed a path for him include West’s Aaron Hampton, Dimond’s Brandon Pili, South’s Edefuan Ulofoshio and Palmer’s Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu.
On the college sports scene, both of the University of Alaska Anchorage basketball programs were busy making moves on the recruiting trail. The men’s team is adding one of the top junior college talents the West Coast had to offer in guard Elijah Mobley.
Mobley spent the past two seasons starring at Las Positas College in Livermore, California, where he tallied 1,022 points in 60 games with averages of 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals. He was named to the All League First Team in both seasons and finished as the second-leading scorer in Coast-North Conference last season with an average of 19.3 points per game.
“We are excited that Elijah has decided to join our program,” UAA head coach Rusty Osborne said in a statement. “He is a very good athlete and can really attack in transition. He has a true scorer’s mentality without being selfish. Although not a huge three-point threat, he gives us a different dimension with his ability to attack the basket to score or get fouled. We also feel he has the desire and ability to be very good on the defensive end in our system. We needed to become less one-dimensional offensively, and Elijah adds that. He will complement some of our other pieces very well. He plays hard, and I think our fans are going to enjoy watching him compete.”
New Seawolves women’s head coach Matt Thune is adding more new recruits to the roster in his inaugural season at the helm of the program for the 2025-26. Last Thursday he announced that Lillee Duffin, Mahaila Harrison, Brooke Leo and Faith Mersburgh had all signed scholarship agreements.
Harrison and Mersburgh were revealed earlier this month while Duffin and Leo are the latest signees. Duffin is a 6-foot-1 forward who played two seasons of junior college at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. As a sophomore last year, she was named All-NWAC South Region Second Team after averaging 10.3 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and shot .530.
“Lillee is a forward who can play both inside and out on the perimeter,” Thune said in a statement. “She has a unique eye for rebounding the ball at a high rate, as evidenced by some of her 20-plus rebound games while at Lane. I am especially excited about her vision of the game and how she makes the right reads as a forward. Lillee averaged 2.7 assists last season and had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, which will be a benefit at her position in our offensive system.”
Leo is a 5-11 guard and is just the second-ever British player in women’s program history. She represented both England and Wales in international competition in Northampton, England. She was the team MVP for the Charnwood College Riders of the WEABL each of the past two seasons. Leo led her team to the Northern Division title last year and will be classified as a freshman with four years of eligibility at UAA.
“Brooke is a hard-working wing who will bring length and athleticism to our team,“ Thune said in a statement. ”She has enjoyed success internationally in the UK and is mature beyond her years due to the structure of living away from home while pursuing her basketball dreams. She can hit shots from the perimeter, attack mismatches, and battle inside. Her versatility and competitive spirit will allow her to hit the ground running here at UAA.”
Sticking with women’s hoops but transitioning to the highest level of the sport, Anchorage’s Alissa Pili logged her second-most minutes and recorded her most points of the WNBA regular season this past Saturday. In a 101-78 win for the Minnesota Lynx over the Los Angeles Sparks, the second year pro and 2024 top-10 pick scored eight points in 10 minutes of action. She did so by going 4-of-5 shooting and also nabbed a pair of rebounds in addition to picking up three personal fouls.
Ketchikan’s Isaac Updike ran a personal best mark of 8 minutes, 13.64 seconds, and was the first to break tape in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Portland Track Festival on Saturday. In doing so, the 33-year-old not only shaved almost four seconds from his previous best time but it also marked the 13th best in U.S. history and met the standard to compete in the world championship. His last time representing the nation at the international stage was as a member of Team USA in 2023.
A pair of former elite collegiate skiers who are currently training with Alaska Pacific University won the Bird Ridge Full Climb trail race this past Sunday on Father’s Day. Anchorage’s Luke Jager won the men’s race in a time of 39 minutes, 58 seconds while Fairbanks’ Kendall Kramer won the women’s race with a mark of 45 minutes, 30 seconds.
2025 Bird Ridge Hill Climb
Bird Ridge Full Climb Male Overall
1: Luke Jager, Anchorage, 39:58; 2: Lars Arneson, Anchorage, 40:34; 3: Michael Earnhart, Eagle River, 41:46; 4: Galen Hecht, Anchorage, 42:08; 5: Ari Endestad, Anchorage, 42:32; 6: Kurtis Brumbaugh, Anchorage, 42:02; 7: David Ryland, Eagle River, 44:09; 8: Joshua Taylor, Wasilla, 44:10; 9: Chris Osiensky, Anchorage, 44:27; 10: Beck Haywood, Anchorage, 44:29; 11: Garrett Butts, Anchorage, 44:47; 12: Blake Hanley, Anchorage, 45:25; 13: Taylor Turney, Anchorage, 45:28; 14: Matthew Novakovich, Anchorage, 46:15; 15: Christopher Maus, Anchorage, 47:12; 16: Ethan Howe, Anchorage, 48:08; 17: Dylan Prosser, Anchorage, 48:08; 18: Ethan Eski, Anchorage, 48:22; 19: Mike Garvey, Anchorage, 48:26; 20: Breyden Nottingham, Eagle River, 48:27
Bird Ridge Full Climb Female Overall
1: Kendall Kramer, Fairbanks, 45:30; 2: Klaire Rhodes, Anchorage, 46:16; 3: Viviana Mina, Eagle River, 47:57; 4: Renae Anderson, Minneapolis, MN 48:11; 5: Meg Inokuma, Palmer, 48:39; 6: Katey Houser, Palmer, 49:21; 7: Taylor Deal, Anchorage, 49:21; 8: Shauna Severson, Eagle River, 50:23; 9: April McAnly, Eagle River, 51:17; 10: Sarah Cosgrave, Anchorage, 54:53; 11: Robin Welling, Anchorage, 55:11; 12: Lauren Spinelli, Anchorage, 55:26; 13: Megan Neale, Anchorage, 55:29; 14: Marit Flora, Anchorage, 55:46; 15: Zoe Copp, Anchorage, 56:37; 16: Calista Zuber, Anchorage, 56:37; 17: Audrey Hogenkamp, Carbondale, CO 57:32; 18: Sofija Spaic, Palmer, 57:34; 19: Alison Matthews, Anchorage, 58:03; 20: Eva Marley-Jester, Anchorage, 58:34
Jack’s Bench Boys Overall
1: Thale Randall, Willow, 21:35; 2: Finn Dudley, Anchorage, 24:05; 3: Denis Prosser, Anchorage, 24:47; 4: Liam Cuddy, Anchorage, 27:33; 5: Clark Brownson, Anchorage, 30:13; 6: Jonah Jacko, Anchorage, 31:35; 7: Agustin Inostroza, Anchorage, 32:02; 8: Finn Hamilton-Iverson, Anchorage, 34:15; 9: Julian Salao, Anchorage, 35:27; 10: David Taylor, Anchorage, 40:11
Jack’s Bench Girls Overall
1: Hana Varnell, Anchorage, 30:21; 2: Rienzi Witmer, Anchorage, 31:49; 3: Colette Leveque, Anchorage, 36:38; 4: Sophie Novakovich, Anchorage, 40:08; 5: Evey Oney, Eagle River, 42:14; 6: Jane Jacko, Anchorage, 45:50
Officials with the University of Alaska have tapped the commander of the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division’s Arctic Aviation Command as the new permanent chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Col. Russell “Russ” Vander Lugt was selected from four finalists after an eight-month search process. He will be the top executive of Alaska’s leading research institution, which describes itself as “America’s Arctic university.” He will replace interim chancellor, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Arctic, Mike Sfraga, who succeeded former chancellor Dan White who announced his retirement in May of last year.
Vander Lugt is a senior U.S. Army officer, an Arctic scholar and UAF alumni, with over two decades of executive leadership experience, according to a university announcement on May 27. He has served as commander of the 11th Airborne Division’s Arctic Aviation Command at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks since Aug. 2024.
“I’m humbled to be selected to lead the University of Alaska Fairbanks during this pivotal time,” Vander Lugt said in a statement with the announcement.
“I look forward to leading through trust, transparency, and teamwork as we see Alaska and the Arctic transformed through education, research, and public service. I’m committed to building on the strong foundation Chancellors Sfraga and White have established, and working closely with university leadership and governance to support and advance UAF’s mission,” he said.
Vander Lugt will step into the permanent chancellor role on Sept. 8. Sfraga’s last day was Friday, and university officials have selected Larry Hinzman, director of the UA Arctic Leadership Initiative, to serve as interim chancellor through the summer.
Vander Lugt has had a long career with the U.S. Army in various roles in Alaska, where he is stationed in Fairbanks, and across the U.S. His resume lists deployments to Europe and the Middle East.
He served in executive leadership roles that include the Alaskan Command, a division of the U.S. Northern Command, the 601st Aviation Support Battalion, and the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat team. He also taught history and military leadership as an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was a professor of military science and department chair at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.
He holds a master’s degree and doctoral degree in Arctic and Northern Studies, which he completed in 2022 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Vander Lugt’s hire is the latest in major leadership changes in the University of Alaska system — former UA President Pat Pitney retired last month and former university attorney Matt Cooper was named as her successor. Cooper will begin as university president in early August, and Michelle Rizk, vice president of university relations and chief strategy, planning and budget officer, is serving as interim president. Cheryl Siemers was appointed permanent chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage in March, after serving as interim chancellor since the retirement of former chancellor Sean Parnell last year.
Vander Lugt’s base salary will be $309,000, according to the university’s announcement.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks serves roughly 7,500 students. It employs more than 800 faculty and nearly 2,000 staff across urban and rural campuses in Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Nome, Bethel and Dillingham.
Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.
WHEREAS, on June 3, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, World War II arrived in Alaska when Dutch Harbor on Amaknak Island was bombed by Japanese – the first aerial attack by an enemy on the continental United States; and
WHEREAS, the Japanese pilots expected little resistance; but because of an intercepted message three weeks earlier, the installation was on high alert, and Navy and Marine personnel were prepared with anti-aircraft defenses; and
WHEREAS, encountering unexpected resistance at Dutch Harbor, installation, Japanese forces shifted their focus to the Margaret Bay Naval Barracks, where the attack claimed the lives of 25 servicemen; and
WHEREAS, following the initial attack on Dutch Harbor, Japanese forces launched additional assaults on Dutch Harbor, Adak, Kiska, and Attu, resulting in the Aleut people being evacuated and held in internment camps in Southeast Alaska for three years, through which many did not survive; and
WHEREAS, the brave soldiers of the United States Armed Forces and allied Canadian Forces fought valiantly for more than a year to reclaim the remaining Aleutian Islands. The battle of Attu stands as one of the most costly American assaults in the Pacific, with hundreds of servicemen making the ultimate sacrifice to liberate Alaska; and
WHEREAS, on the 84th anniversary of the bombing of Dutch Harbor, we remember and honor all who were affected by the attack, paying tribute both to the military personnel who served and died to defend our Nation and to the Aleut people who died while imprisoned.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim June 3, 2026, as:
Dutch Harbor Remembrance Day
in Alaska and encourage all Alaskans to join with the people of Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, and the Aleutian Islands to honor all who were lost in Alaska during World War II, and I order the Alaska State Flag to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of those who perished.
Dated: June 3, 2026
A plane belonging to the Alaska National Guard appears to have been damaged during operations connected to Operation Epic Fury as part of American military efforts against Iran, according to online reports. Defense officials have so far declined to confirm whether Alaska National Guard personnel or equipment are taking part in the campaign.
Last week, defense industry news outlet The War Zone published photos of a KC-135 Stratotanker transiting through a British airbase. In the pictures, made by photographer Andrew McKelvey, the rear bottom of the fuselage and wing stabilizers are “peppered with temporary shrapnel damage repairs‚“ according to The War Zone’s article. The plane also appears to be missing its refueling boom, the proboscis extending from under the tail to pump off fuel to other aircraft.
In the photographs, the Stratotanker’s tail number is visible, identifying the refueling plane as belonging to the Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing, based at Eielson Air Force Base outside of Fairbanks. The wing’s mission includes aerial refueling. That’s the tactic of large planes unloading vast quantities of fuel to aircraft, ranging from fighter jets to rescue helicopters, in midair.
Pictures from a different photographer published last week by another blog, The Aviationist, show the same plane. The tail includes the letters “AK” painted above a white polar bear.
In addition to the photographs, the reporting from The War Zone is based on publicly available flight data and social media posts scraped from a variety of sources.
According to information from Flight Radar 24, the Stratotanker left Eielson on March 5, just days after the U.S. and Israeli militaries began bombing Iranian targets on Feb. 28. Through March, according to public flight records, the plane was based at Ben Gurion Airport southeast of Tel Aviv, where, according to The War Zone, dozens of American refueling aircraft were staged as part of Operation Epic Fury.
There are no public flight records connected to the Stratotanker through April and most of May, until it appeared to fly through England on the way to the United States at the end of last month.
It is not clear how many Alaska Air National Guard planes, personnel or units are currently deployed in connection to the war effort against Iran.
A spokesperson for the Alaska National Guard referred all questions about Operation Epic Fury to the U.S. Central Command.
A spokesperson for CENTCOM, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, declined to answer questions on the record or provide any specific information about Alaska National Guard units deployed as part of ongoing military operations, citing the need to protect service members and operational security.
The Alaska National Guard has posted no informational releases or pictures connected to an overseas deployment during the last few months.
Much of Operation Epic Fury has been waged by military aircraft, and aerial refueling is critical to keeping planes supplied during long flights. A May 12 report from the Congressional Research Service composed of public damage reports to U.S. military aircraft noted that among the 42 records of damage or losses were seven KC-135 Stratotankers, though the findings were published before photos emerged of the Alaska-based plane. The report noted that the Defense Department “has not published a comprehensive assessment of combat losses” from Operation Epic Fury.
The tail number is associated with a Stratotanker manufactured in 1964, the year before Boeing ceased making them. All of the nearly 400 KC-135s currently in operation within the American military date back to that era of the Cold War.
The aircraft has the word “Tetlin” painted on the top of its tail. The name is an homage to the Interior Alaska village, one of several selected to honor longstanding bonds between military aviators and Alaska Native communities, according to photographs of a dedication ceremony posted by the Alaska National Guard last summer.
The 168th Wing currently has 12 Stratotankers attached to the unit. That number bumped up in April after a long campaign by Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan to allocate more tankers to the state’s portfolio given its vast geography and high number of advanced fighter jets.
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