In some ways, 2016 may have been a trying year. It was an election year that featured one of the most divisive elections that the country has witnessed. The world said goodbye to a multitude of lovable celebrities, which from the world of sports, included Muhammad Ali, Tony Burton (the actor who portrayed Apollo Creed’s trainer, Duke, in the “Rocky” movies), Jose Fernandez, Gordie Howe, Arnold Palmer, Buddy Ryan, Craig Sager and Pat Summitt.

But 2016 was not without its joyous moments. The Seahawks continued to contend and excite. Though missing the postseason, the Mariners kept fans on their toes with a competitive Wild Card run. For fans of the long-suffering Chicago Cubs, 108 years of longing came to an end. And one of Mercer Island’s own helped his hometown Major League Soccer team win its first championship during his impressive rookie campaign.

This week, the Reporter looks back at some of the Mercer Island prep (and pro) sports moments that captivated us from the last year.

Winter

The Mercer Island boys basketball team finishes second in the KingCo 3A standings, advancing to the Sea-King district tournament and falls one game shy of the 3A state regionals. The Islanders finish the season 18-8 overall.

The Mercer Island girls basketball team have one of its best starts in program history, winning its first 11 games of the 2015-16 season. Mercer Island, which finishes the season 20-6, finishes second in KingCo 3A, advances to the 3A state regionals and falls one game shy of advancing to the 3A girls Hardwood Classic. Post player Anna Luce sets program records for most rebounds in a single game (21), points scored in a season (467), rebounds in a single season (235), season field goal percentage (54.8 percent) and season free throw percentage (83.5 percent).

Mercer Island gymnastics finishes second in the KingCo 3A standings and advances as a team to the Sea-King district tournament. Islanders Cece Belady, Emily Culbertson, Esther Leung, Mya Levin and Stephanie Prince advance to the 3A state tournament.

The Mercer Island boys swim and dive team finishes second at the KingCo and Sea-King championship meets and places third overall at the 3A state championships. Mercer Island’s 400 relay team of Oliver Hoff, Ford Witman, Killian Riley and Ben Gore win a state title in the event.

The Mercer Island wrestling team finishes second to Interlake in the KingCo 3A standings and places second at the KingCo tournament, with 12 wrestlers placing in their weight class and nine wrestlers reaching the final round.

The Mercer Island dance and drill team is named the 3A academic state champions for its classification during the winter sports season.

One month after winning a national championship with the Stanford Cardinal in December 2015, former Mercer Island soccer standout Jordan Morris announces he will go pro and signs a homegrown player contract with the Seattle Sounders FC.

Spring

The Mercer Island baseball team wins the KingCo 3A title for the first time since 2010 and returns to the 3A state tournament. Making back-to-back state appearances in 2015 and 2016 marks a first for the MIHS baseball program. The Islanders finish the 2016 season with a 20-5 record.

The Mercer Island fastpitch team places sixth in the KingCo 3A standings.

Seattle Mariners ace pitcher Felix Hernandez throws out the first pitch at the Mercer Island Little League’s opening day on April 30 at South Mercer Playfields.

The Mercer Island girls golf team avenges its regular season losses to Interlake and Bellevue by winning the KingCo medalist tournament. Five Mercer Island golfers qualify for the 3A state tournament, with four advancing to the meet’s final round. As a team, the Islanders place third at the state meet.

Behind state qualifiers Zach Evens and Drew Christofferson, the Mercer Island boys golf team places fourth at the 3A state championships. Evens finishes runner-up in individual competition, forcing a playoff with Spencer Tibbits of Fort Vancouver after swinging for eagle on the final hole of the second round.

After 14 seasons at the helm, longtime Mercer Island boys lacrosse coach Ian O’Hearn steps down and takes over coaching duties at the middle school level. Chris Long, former coach of the seventh/eighth grade black team, takes over the varsity squad. The Islanders advance to the state tournament quarterfinals and finish the season with a record of 15-6.

The Mercer Island girls lacrosse team advances to the state tournament semifinals and finishes the season with a record of 9-6. Head coach Liz Shields, a staple in the Mercer Island lacrosse community, steps down after leading the girls high school team for six seasons.

The Mercer Island boys soccer team finishes the regular season undefeated in KingCo 3A for the second straight year, winning the league title behind a conference record of 12-0. The Islanders advance to their third 3A state championship match in five years. Despite outshooting their opponents 19-3 in the final, the Islanders fall to Interlake 1-0. Mercer Island finishes its season with a record of 18-2-1.

The Mercer Island girls tennis team suffers its first KingCo loss in nine years, falling to Interlake 4-3 on March 31. The Islanders win a share of the KingCo tournament, tying with Interlake at the postseason meet. Mercer Island finishes second at the 3A state championship meet as a team, with Interlake ending the Islanders’ seven-year reign as champions. The doubles team of Caroline Hamilton and Sammy Sweet take home the 3A state doubles championship.

The Mercer Island boys tennis team wins its sixth-straight 3A state title as a team. The duo of Christian Anderson and Chris Elliott are runners-up in the 3A state doubles bracket.

The Mercer Island girls track and field team edges the Juanita Rebels by one point to win the KingCo championship meet as a team. The Islanders place ninth as a team at the 3A state meet. Kayla Lee finishes runner-up in the 200 meter dash and third in the 400. Mercer Island’s 4×400 meter relay team of Mathilda Noone, Piper Casey, Ella Hensey and Lee placed third.

The Mercer Island boys track and field team place fifth at the KingCo championships. Emerson Schulz advances to the state meet in the 400 meter dash and Dylan Majewski advances to state in the shot put event.

Longtime cross country and track and field coach Erica Hill steps down at season’s end after coaching for 17 years.

The Mercer Island girls water polo team places sixth at the state tournament.

Mercer Island High School wins its eighth straight WIAA Scholastic Cup trophy, which recognizes athletic and academic achievements.

Summer

Mercer Island track and field athletes Ellie Bailey, Kayla Lee and Maya Virdell compete at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic Championships in July.

Members of the Mercer Island varsity boys golf team travel to Scotland for a summer trip. Before leaving, the team wins the American High School Golf Championships tournament at St. Andrews.

The Mercer Island Rockers win the division II final of the Puget Sound Senior Coed Softball League’s championship tournament.

Fall

The Mercer Island football team advances to the postseason for the first time since 2013. The Islanders upset the KingCo 3A champion Juanita Rebels 24-14 in the regular season finale, then beat the Redmond Mustangs 28-7 in a playoff for the league’s final postseason berth. Mercer Island finished the season with a record of 4-6.

The Mercer Island girls cross country team place fourth at the KingCo championships, while the Islander boys place sixth. Islanders Maggie Baker, Nate Benson and Kayla Lee advance to the 3A state championship meet.

The Mercer Island boys golf team advances three golfers to the Sea-King district championships. Zack Gottesman advances to next spring’s 3A state tournament.

The Mercer Island girls soccer team moves on to the 3A state tournament for the first time since 2012 after winning four consecutive postseason games, with two wins coming via penalty kicks. The Islanders finish the season with a record of 12-7-2.

The Mercer Island girls swim and dive team bests its 3A competitors at the KingCo championships. The Islanders place third overall at the 3A state meet. All three Mercer Island relay teams reach the medal stand, while Sammie Edwards and Maeve Murdoch medal in two events.

The Mercer Island boys tennis team runs the table on its opponents, going undefeated in both conference and nonconference matches and winning the KingCo regular season and postseason tournament titles. Mercer Island advances three doubles teams to next spring’s district tournament and boasts the KingCo 3A top seed in Zach Chew.

The Mercer Island volleyball team dominates its KingCo competition, finishing 14-0 in league play and locking up its fourth KingCo league title in five years. The Islanders make their sixth-straight appearance at the state tournament, bringing home a third-place trophy and finishing the season with a 22-3 record.

The Mercer Island boys water polo team storms back from a four-goal halftime deficit against the Roosevelt Roughriders, scoring nine goals after the half to edge Roosevelt 10-9 in the state tournament. The Islanders capture a third-place trophy with the win.

Former Mercer Island wrestling coach Paul Jackson receives the news he will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his lifetime service to the sport as a coach and referee.

In his rookie year with the Seattle Sounders FC, Jordan Morris wins the MLS Rookie of the Year award. The season starts off slow, for both Morris and the Sounders. But after Seattle makes a late season push for playoff contention, Morris helps his hometown team win its first MLS Cup, with the Sounders defeating Toronto FC in penalty kicks 5-4 in the championship match.

The Mercer Island boys swim and dive team finished second at the KingCo and Sea-King championship meets and placed third overall at the 3A state championships in February. File photo.

The Mercer Island baseball team won the KingCo 3A title for the first time since 2010 and returned to the 3A state tournament in May. The Islanders finished the 2016 season with a 20-5 record. File photo.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez winds up to deliver the first pitch at the Mercer Island Little League opening day ceremonies in April at South Mercer Playfields. File photo.

From left, Mercer Island girls golf state competitors Estey Chen, Ella Warburg, Kate Peterson, Madelyn Quickstad and Abby Zhong. File photo.

Mercer Island’s Austin Taylor (14) and Mitchell Meade (2) fight for position on a first-half corner kick during the 3A boys soccer state championship in Puyallup. File photo.

The Mercer Island boys tennis team claimed its sixth-straight 3A state championship trophy in 2016. File photo.

From left, Fiona Brasfield, Sammy Sweet, Mercer Island girls tennis coach Carol Gullstad, Caroline Hamilton and Chloe Gage show off the medals won by the Islander doubles teams. File photo.

Members of the Mercer Island varsity boys golf team traveled to Scotland for a trip during the summer. Before they left, the team won the American High School Golf Championships tournament at St. Andrews. File photo.

The Mercer Island girls soccer team moved on to the 3A state tournament for the first time since 2012 during the fall, after winning four consecutive postseason games, with two wins coming via penalty kicks. The Islanders finished the season with a 12-7-2 record. File photo.

Mercer Island’s Natalie Robinson, the 2016 KingCo 3A MVP, sends a shot over the outstretched arms of Capital High’s front line. File photo.

The Mercer Island girls swim and dive team placed third at the 3A state championships in November at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. File photo.