MLHS girls golfer makes appearance at state tournament
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
MOSES LAKE – Moses Lake girls golf has officially wrapped up for the year after a state tournament appearance for Lilliana Roylance. After playing through the district tournament and qualifying for states, she made it to day one but was unable to move onto day two.
“I was very excited to get her over there and qualify (for state competition). We've had girls qualify the past three years and I was happy that she qualified this year,” Mavs girls coach Kevin Whittall said.
On day one Roylance shot 119, which ultimately prevented her from moving onto day two of the state tournament. Weather played a key role in her performance, with rain delays causing disruption to her routine, according to Whittall.
“I mean, it was 20 minutes of rain, maybe five minutes of sun and 20 minutes of rain and wind, so it was kind of a miserable time, and she couldn't really get into the groove,” he said.
Roylance was the only girls golfer to make it to the state tournament. At district, the two top teams are taken to compete in qualifiers, and from there, the top four are selected to move onto states, according to Whittall.
Last year, Roylance missed out on the state tournament by two strokes, according to Whittall.
“A couple of the other Moses Lake girls went to state, and I think that motivated her to put a little extra time in when she had the time, and it paid off,” he said.
As she progressed through the season, she took on a leadership role with the younger players on the team, according to Whittall.
“She was the only returner coming back from last year's team, and so she was kind of the captain, and I had three girls that never really played varsity golf and she helped them out,” he said.
With the season now over, Whittall and Roylance look toward her senior season next year where she will have another opportunity to improve on this season.
“You know, she's got that taste in her mouth with (a state appearance) and you never want to go out with a 119, and so I know she wants to improve on that and I think that made Lily (say), ‘Okay, you know, I think I want to get to the second day,” Whittall said.
Lilliana Roylance teeing off at a previous tournament at Moses Lake Golf and Country Club. Roylance was the only girls golfer to make it to the state tournament this year.ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Maverick's trainer shares tips for safe summer conditioning
MOSES LAKE — With August on the horizon, the return of local high school athletics is drawing closer by the day. Lily Rodriguez, who serves as the athletic trainer at Moses Lake High School, shared some tips for how athletes can prepare for outdoor sports amidst heat and fluctuating air quality. "They need to start slowly entering into the heat as well," Rodriguez said. "They need to be acclimated (to the heat). It takes about 10 to 14 days of slow and gradual increase in activity. The first thing that they got to start doing is physical conditioning."
Eastern Washington BMX tracks team up for Race for Life fundraiser
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake BMX will be participating in the Race for Life fundraiser the first weekend of August. A nationwide event, Eastern Washington BMX entities are adapting it into a four-track series across Walla Walla, Columbia Basin, Spokane and Moses Lake, President of Moses Lake BMX Jeff Niehenke said. "We try to see who can raise the most money amongst the tracks," Niehenke said. "We have a traveling trophy that goes along with that for bragging rights. Along with that, we also do a four-race series for the riders, and we have end-of-series awards for those who get the most points through those four races."
Mavericks wrestlers gain national experience in Fargo
MOSES LAKE — Eli Anderson and Conner Duvall from the Moses Lake Mavericks wrestling program recently returned from Fargo, North Dakota for the 2026 US Marine Corps Junior nationals. "I think I performed good," Anderson said. "But I don't think I performed my best; I could have done better in my last match to make it further."