Bear Creek Student-Athletes Sign National Letter of Intent
Washingtoner/10140970

REDMOND, Wash. - Washingtoner -- Tess Bumiller has attended The Bear Creek School since the fifth grade. Bear Creek does not offer a softball team, so Tess has played softball for Lake Washington HS. She started her softball career at age five in the Redmond West Little League system playing first and third bases, but soon she found her true passion. Pitching. While at Lake Washington, Tess had an immediate impact including a District Championship in her freshman year. In 2020, Tess earned a spot with ai Bandits Fastpitch, a new, elite fastpitch softball organization led by Coach Joe Breer. Last summer, the Bandits U16 team took second place in the PGF Nationals Platinum Championship. The past 12 years have culminated with Tess signing her National Letter of Intent to play softball next fall at Utah State University where she is thrilled to become an Aggie.

More on Washingtoner

• Spring Surge in 55+ Communities: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know in 2026
• Spokane: City Council Adopts "Immigration Enforcement Free Zones" Ordinance
• Spokane City Council Approves Prohibition of Kraton Sales
• Jason Caras Launches The Caras Institute Following Successful Exit from IT Authorities
• Tacoma: Mayor Anders Ibsen to Deliver First State of the City Address on March 4

Zoe Smith has attended Bear Creek since grade 8. She was nine years old when she began playing volleyball at the Boys & Girls Club. A year later, Zoe began playing for Northwest Juniors Elite Volleyball Club and continued competing on club volleyball teams for the past seven seasons, helping her teams advance to Nationals twice. She started setting for her U14 team. During her first year at Bear Creek, Zoe found instant success playing the Middle School volleyball. Zoe made the varsity team as a freshman and was named captain her sophomore year. During her high school career, Zoe achieved 114 kills, 180 aces, 440 digs, and 1152 career assists. Next up Zoe will bring her setting talents to Central Christian College of Kansas where we know she will make an immediate impact for the Tigers.

Chad Pohlman, Bear Creek Athletics Director, says, "It is not every day that athletes the caliber of Tess Bumiller or Zoe Smith don the green and white at Bear Creek, and we are extremely proud of both these ladies for what they have done and who they have become."

More on Washingtoner

• Serina Damesworth Hired as Century Fasteners Corp. – Director of Quality
• City of Tacoma to Host Free Virtual 'Capability Statements 101' Workshop on March 11
• City of Tacoma to Host Free 'AI for Small Business' Workshop on March 10
• Spokane: Downriver Golf Course Opens March 6, 2026
• National Expansion Ignited Across Amazon $AMZN, Chewy $CHWY & Walmart $WMT: NDT Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Stock Symbol: NDTP) $NDTP

About The Bear Creek School

Founded in 1988, in Redmond, Washington, The Bear Creek School https://www.tbcs.org/ provides a challenging academic curriculum taught from a Christian worldview. Our graduates qualify for acceptance into the finest colleges and universities and are prepared to engage the world with wisdom, compassion, and courage.

Celebrating over 30 years, Bear Creek serves students from the greater Eastside and is housed on two campuses in Redmond, educating preschool to grade 12 students. The Bear Creek School is accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools and Cognia (formerly AdvancED).