MOSES LAKE — The Washington Secondary School Athletic Administrators Association named Moses Lake High School’s Athletic Director Loren Sandhop as the 2024-25 Washington State Athletic Director of the Year. 

“It’s a great honor not only for me but for our community, it symbolizes a lot of people’s hard work,” said Sandhop.  

This award recognized Sandhop’s leadership abilities, commitment to student-athletes, and contributions to the athletics scene around the state. Sandhop has helmed the athletics program for about 25 years at Moses Lake High School, where he has had a lasting impact, especially with his efforts this school year. The 2024-25 school year has been difficult for the district on multiple fronts, including its sports programs, due to the district’s financial situation. 

“The trials and tribulations we’ve had to go through with our finances and just trying to make sure we pulled this off this year for the kids,” he said. “We’ve all stepped up to make this happen for kids, and it’s nice to get that recognition because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be playing right now.” 

There have been plenty of trials that he has seen the school endure in his time as the Athletics Director and what has been special is that each time the school overcomes the odds and allows the students to continue to pursue their passions, he said. 

“We are incredibly proud of Loren Sandhop, our Athletic Director, for being recognized as Athletic Director of the Year. This honor is a testament to his unwavering dedication to providing our students opportunities in education-based athletics and activities. His leadership and his commitment to building a culture of excellence throughout the Moses Lake School District makes a lasting impact on our entire community,” said Triscia Hochstatter, MLSD’s Executive Director of Secondary Education. “I cannot think of anyone with more passion and vision for the growth of students through opportunities that athletics and activities can offer ... in fact, life-changing opportunities, at times, for students.” 

The ability for students to have education-based athletics is important because it requires the students to go to school and be full-time students making them find balance between keeping good grades and their responsibilities as an athlete, said Sandhop. This prepares students as they move on from high school to continue to have those time management skills. 

“I’ve got my ‘why’ on my desk. It talks about me helping connect kids, families, teachers and coaches to our school,” he said. “The connections that we bring, the relationships that we build when a coach can put an arm around a kid and say ‘Hey, I need you to do better in math class,’ that goes a long way.” 

Sandhop said what he does as the athletic director is an important way to connect the community back to the school. He is also proud of the community when they stepped up to pass the levy and provide a much-needed source of revenue last fall after two levy proposals last spring failed. 

“It’s the activity program too, whether it’s band, choir, speech and debate, math is cool, Science Olympiad, or obviously all the athletic teams,” he said. “All of those things give students the connection to our schoolhouse; and through those relationships that their advisors or coaches have, we get kids to step up and do community service that they might not have ever done.” 

Before he was an athletic director, Sandhop taught five years in Royal City and then got his first administrative job in Granite Falls. There, he was balancing being a vice principal, an athletic director, associated student body coordinator, head football coach and the Career and Technical Education director. 

“I really had five hats I was wearing,” he said.  

He jumped on the opportunity to come back to Eastern Washington to become Moses Lake’s athletic director in 2000. Since then, he said, there have been many accomplishments. Those include achievements such as the starting of the Moses Lake Hall of Fame, rebranding from the Chiefs to the Mavericks and facility renovations such as the building of the high school pool which has had a lasting impact on the community. 

“Not only from being able to teach fifth graders how to swim but having our high school kids learn how to be lifeguards and be employable with a skill, going down and working all summer long at the aquatic center,” said Sandhop. 

None of what he has accomplished would have been possible without the love and support he has received from his wife Dawn Sandhop over the years.  

As an athletic director, he said he works two jobs with the first being an administrator at the school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then he works the second part from 3 p.m. to almost 11 p.m. some nights. 

“If I didn’t have the support of my wife (and) my two kids that probably missed out on some dad time, I could’ve never done it,” he said. “My wife helped us raise two amazing kids that are well adjusted, and they went through our program.” 

In watching both other students and his own children, Sandhop said he’s seen how important the programs are that he manages. He feels they’re good for the students and community and he wants to continue to help others use the programs as tools to their benefit. 

“It’s a rewarding job, you get to see students at their highs, you get to see great connections, but you also lose out on some family time,” he said. “I’m giving to some other kids, but I know somebody’s always taking care of mine too.” 

    After being named Athletic Director of the year Loren Sandhop gives an acceptance speech. Shandhop has said he’s particularly proud of the achievements the programs he runs lead students toward.
  

    A picture from the unveiling of Moses Lake High School’s new Maverick statue back in 2023. The transition from the Chiefs to the Mavericks presented unique challenges, Sandhop said. The Mavs have gone on to continue the Chiefs’ legacy of athletic excellence.