Sarah Cook is off to a hot start with the Vancouver Island University Mariners women’s hoops program.

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community member, La Conner High alum and Skagit Valley College transfer was named the Mariners Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for Jan. 25-31 after scoring a game-high 15 points and grabbing three rebounds in 19 minutes of action during a 57-45 VIU win over Capilano.

A 5-7 guard, Cook is averaging 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per outing for the Mariners, who have won 15 of their first 18 games this season.

Against Capilano on Jan. 30, Cook drained three of four three-point attempts and scored 10 points in the final period to clinch the Mariners’ double-digits triumph.

Cook, an All-State selection in volleyball and basketball at La Conner High, excelled in both sports for two seasons at nearby Skagit Valley College where she played an integral role during the SVC volleyball team’s run to the program’s first Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2024.

She transferred last spring to Vancouver Island University at Nanaimo, B.C., a public research university whose athletic teams compete in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.

Cook’s athletics focus at VIU is on basketball, where she is one of seven new Mariners’ players. Most of the team is comprised of players from the Vancouver, B.C., metro area with Kaia Simpson of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Cook making up the international portion of the VIU roster.

Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.