MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks are back from their trip to Hawaii for the 2026 Iolani Cross Country Invitational, which concluded over the weekend. The Mavs shined in their respective competitions that featured some of the top programs from Hawaii and the mainland, head coach Larry Dagnon said.  

"We're super appreciative of the fact that the school district continually lets us chase these bigger races," he said. "These big races are what is helping create dreams for a lot of kids. (Jonathan Sandoval) shared with me that he couldn't believe he actually got to run (in Hawaii) because when I started talking to him as an eighth grader when I told him Hawaii was something that he could probably achieve and he was doubtful that he would ever make it there." 

The boys and girls varsity squads took a step forward since their last trip to Hawaii two seasons ago. The boys finished fifth overall with 167 points, while the girls placed second with 88 points.  Among the junior varsity runners, the boys placed third while the girls took fifth. The Mavericks competed hard amidst top tier schools, humidity and a challenging, rugged course.  

The girls ran first and went to work in the Greg Char Championship race. The Mavs had seven runners competing alongside 103 other competitors. Rachel Nofziger, Natalie Vehrs, Aspen Hoenes, Kaytlyn Russell, Amelia Olascon, Emily Bong and Khloe Helm all placed in the top 40 – earning their team the second-place finish.  

Nofziger (19:17) and Vehrs (19:20) led the Mavericks, taking 12th and 13th respectively. Not far behind at 19th is Hoenes with a final time of 19:46. Dagnon expressed high praise for his Lady Mavs as they battled through the challenging course, humidity and fierce competition, including the Hawaii state champion.  

"Rachel had a really good start, and she set the tone for us," Dagnon said. "She always is just so very tough, and this race was no different. Natalie was right behind her, she loves to race from behind, and she does really well racing from behind, especially if she can see Rachel because with her shorter stature, she can kind of sneak up on people, and she does." 

On the boys side in the Jim Rubasch Championship race, the Mavericks had seven more runners competing, with Maxwell Jolley (16:23) leading the group with a 12th place finish. Sandoval (16:42), Liam Roseburg (17:02), Colton Lucero (17:03), Noah Demchuk (17:24), Lane Christensen (18:01) and Gabriel Cabiao (18:18) rounded out the team’s efforts in Hawaii. 

Across both races, Sandoval, Olascon, Bong and Helm turned in personal best performances in addition to the teams’ strong overall placements. Even in the mens and womens 3-mile open, several Mavs put together personal best races. Though he was pleased to see so many of his athletes take a step forward in Hawaii, Dagnon was not surprised.  

"We've been seeing it in practice," he said. " I think it was more surprising to them because we've been telling them for weeks that we thought they had a really good chance. We weren't surprised so much at their success; we think they're a really well-kept secret." 

With a strong performance across the board in Hawaii, Dagnon feels this only raises the bar for them the rest of the season as they'll begin to come across more Big 9 teams.  

"It just makes them want to strive for a little more and just keep doing the work," the coach said. "Not just showing up to practice, not just getting practice over with, but setting goals in those practices and trying to aim higher." 

He built on this point with a message he relayed to the girls team at one point. 

"We constantly tell the girls that right now you're probably the top team we've ever had, including last year, at least in our current coaching staff," Dagnon said. "The sky's the limit for you. You guys have got to decide one what your culture is, and two how you're going to do in these races. You can dictate that a lot just by continually focusing on what's immediate, race to race, practice to practice (and) don't get too far ahead of yourself." 

Looking ahead, the Mavericks continue their regular season at Walla Walla Point Park on Sept. 19 for the 29th Annual Wenatchee Cross Country Invite. As he reflected on the trip, Dagnon expressed his gratitude that runners like Sandoval got to have this unique experience during their times as a Maverick. 

"Here's this opportunity, and it's pretty beautiful when you look at it that way, and you look at how they saved, how they worked, all these odd jobs and a two-year process just to come up with the funds, but yet they all managed to do it," he said.  

RESULTS 

SB – Season Best 

PB – Personal Best 

BOYS 

Mens 3 miles open 

11 — Gillis Ward-Guthrie, 17:45 SB 

12 — Owen Martel, 17:48 PB 

21 — Benjamin Bishop, 18:12 PB 

24 — Graham Larkin, 18:15 PB 

25 — Duane Zamora, 18:21, SB 

32 — Ariah Torres, 18:49 PB 

33 — Grayson Barlow, 18:49 PB 

38 — Keenan Russell, 19:06 SB 

39 — Liam Michie, 19:08 PB 

45 — Harrison Holt, 19:23 SB 

Mens 3 miles Jim Rubasch Championship 

12 — Maxwell Jolley, 16:23 SB 

29 — Jonathan Sandoval, 16:42 PB 

39 — Liam Roseburg, 17:02 SB 

40 — Colton Lucero, 17:03 SB 

52 — Noah Demchuk, 17:24 SB 

77 — Lane Christensen, 18:01 SB 

81 — Gabriel Cabiao, 18:18 SB 

GIRLS 

Womens 3 miles open 

3 — Sarah Humphreys, 20:53 PB 

6 — Emma Wallace, 21:17 SB 

10 — Aleyah Loera, 22:00 PB 

23 — Charlotte Chesley, 22:55 PB 

41 — Adelyn Chamberlin, 23:53 PB 

68 — Natalie Ottmar, 27:31 SB 

81 — Kezhya Scheel, 29:47 SB 

82 — Naomi Nofziger, 30:11 PB 

Womens 3 miles Greg Char Championship 

12 — Rachel Nofziger, 19:17 SB 

13 — Natalie Vehrs, 19:20 SB 

19 — Aspen Hoenes, 19:46 SB 

23 — Kaytlyn Russell, 20:10 SB 

26 — Amelia Olascon, 20:16 PB 

33 — Emily Bong, 20:24 PB 

38 — Khloe Helm, 20:46 PB

    The Moses Lake Mavericks and coaches gather for a team photo while competing at the 2026 Iolani Cross Country Invitational in Hawaii. The boys varsity squad finished fifth while the girls placed second.