Lake Washington High School had eight students sign on to play college sports, five from the Kangs’ girls soccer team that took second place at state last season.

The ceremony, attended by family and friends, also celebrated the signing for two girls basketball players and one baseball player. It included statements from several coaches read by Athletic Director George Crowder. Praising their respective players for their contributions to the team on the field, they also pointed out their scholastic accomplishments in the classroom.

In her statement, Kangs girls soccer head coach Suzanne Hart cited the accomplishments of Emily Bunnell (Western Washington), Kaiti Brixley (Concordia University), McKenna Ferrera (Gonzaga University), Maeve “Savin’ Maevin” O’Conner (Chapman University) and Taylor Sekyra (University of Washington). Hart was named 2A/3A KingCo coach of the year.

As part of the girls soccer team, they finished the 2014 season with a 10-2 record, losing to Bellevue twice. During the state tournament, their quest for the championship ended in a heart-breaking loss to Mt. Spokane, 1-0, at Spokane Falls Community College, a game the girls described as the coldest they have ever played.

Bunnella was a four-year varsity player and team captain for two years.

“She has an innate ability as a soccer player,” Hart said. “She is able to see the play happening before it actually does…”

Brixley, another four-year varsity player and team captain, “can play any position and will always leave everything on the field,” while Ferrera “had one of the best seasons I’ve seen from a player,” according to Hart. “She was absolutely unreal and unstoppable.”

O’Conner, a third four-year varsity player and goalkeeper, earned the nickname “Savin’ Maevin.” Hart said she was “key to our successes over these last four years.”

Hart also expressed her excitement for Sekyra’s signing on with the UW, where the coach also played soccer under Sekyra’s father, Chuck Sekyra, who was the head coach at the time.

The girls credited the upperclassmen with helping them mature when they were freshmen, describing the team as “very tight knit.” Although the team is losing many players to graduation, they say they have confidence in the underclassmen to continue the team’s success.

Also at the signing were Tor Jensen, who has signed on to play baseball at Hawaii Pacific University, Carly Rataushk, who will play basketball at Seattle Pacific University, and Sydney Shepard, who signed on to play basketball at the University of San Diego.

The Kangs baseball team also made it to the state tournament, where they promptly defeated the first two teams including a 10-1 victory against Tumwater. They lost the final game against Ellensburg for the state title, 2-1.

Jensen, a center fielder, was selected for the 2014 Perfect Game Northwest Showcase Top Prospect Team, as well as the Baseball Northwest Prospect Tournament in 2012, 2013 and 2014, according to berecruited.com. Perfect Game is the largest amateur baseball scouting service in the world.

Kangs Baseball Coach Derek Bingham described Jensen as a “driven, hard-working student athlete who has earned his opportunity with his efforts both on and off the field.”

Shepard was the first LWH girls basketball player to receive a full-ride scholarship in almost 15 years. Rataushk was recently selected as player of the game for her Jan. 28 performance against Bellevue High, where she racked up 13 rebounds.