Tri-City spring athletes set records + Kellen and Tom Moore head to WIAA Hall of Fame

It’s been a banner year so far for track and field athletes in the Tri-Cities and Mid-Columbia. Several have even set new records.

Five individuals and one relay team won events at the most recent Pasco Invitational, held April 18 at Edgar Brown Stadium:

• Hanford sophomore Jonathan Allen won the boys pole vault, clearing 16 feet, 4 inches. On April 24, Allen won the event in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays in Portland at 16-4.75. His top height is 16-5, which he cleared on March 21 at Fran Rish Stadium. That ranks him second best in the entire state.

• Prosser senior Gavin Case won the boys discus title with a toss of 175 feet even. Case is the No. 8-ranked boys discus thrower in the state.

• The Chiawana girls 4x100 relay team of Baylie Anderson, Leanne Arbogast, Mylie Anderson, and Sawyer Chubb won its event in 48.93 seconds.

• Chiawana’s Chubb, a junior, crossed the finish line first in the girls 400 meters with a time of 55.74 seconds. Chubb ranks fourth in the state in the 400.

• Richland senior Naly Khamlue-Pratt won the girls 100 meters final with a personal best time of 11.85 seconds. That’s a Richland High School record. In the prelims, Khamlue-Pratt clocked in with a 12.09 time. She also holds the school record in the 200 meters, and is ranked No. 3 in the state among all girls 100 meters sprinters.

• Kennewick senior Tessa Lewis cleared 5 feet, 4 inches, to win the girls high jump event. That’s a school record. Lewis is ranked No. 9 in the state right now.

Speaking of school records, Kennewick High junior Peter Smith already holds two school records for the Lions.

Last year, as a sophomore, Smith launched the discus 179 feet, 8 inches, during a Mid-Columbia Conference meet at home. That surpassed the previous high of 177-4, held by Jim Jesernig in 1975.

On April 22 of this year, Smith had a shot put mark of 56 feet, 3.5 inches, during an MCC meet at Fran Rish Stadium in Richland. That broke the record, previously held by Howard Roth in 1965. Roth’s mark was 56-0.

Other state leaders from our area include Kamiakin senior Emaunii Smith, who cleared 5 feet, 8 inches, in the girls high jump at an MCC meet at Richland High. That makes her the top girls high jumper in the state.

The Chiawana quartet of Leanne Arbogast, Addisyn Bunger, Mylie Anderson and Sawyer Chubb ran a 4:00.64 in the girls 4x400 relay at that same Richland meet. That’s the third-best girls 4x400 relay in the state.

Kennewick’s Carter Bendewald proved himself a weapon last fall at running back for the Lions football team. But he can also throw the javelin. At the Pasco Invite, he scored a throw of 184 feet, 2 inches. That ranks him fourth among all state javelin leaders.

Columbia-Burbank’s Mia Leahy fired the javelin 134-10 at the Connell Invitational on April 10. That ranks her No. 4 among girls state leaders.

WIAA Hall of Fame

What could be better than getting inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) Hall of Fame? How about going in with one of your sons?

Long-time Prosser head football coach Tom Moore will be inducted into the hall at a luncheon at the Snoqualmie Casino and Hotel. The event is set for 12 p.m. on May 6.

But wait. His oldest son, Kellen Moore, is going in as an athlete. Kellen is just beginning his second season as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Moore’s younger son, Kirby Moore, was hired in December to become the newest head coach at Washington State University.

Dust Devils

The Tri-City Dust Devils have gotten off to a respectable start in the Northwest League season, sitting with a 12-11 record through games of April 29.

With the month of April pretty much done, the Dust Devils are 5.5 games behind first-place Eugene. The Giants’ farm team sits at 17-5.

Meanwhile, the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) are currently visiting the Dust Devils this week. They have a 13-10 record, just 1 game ahead of Tri-City.

Los Angeles Angels’ No. 1 draft pick from a year ago, pitcher Tyler Bremner, has been impressive as the Dust Devils’ ace.

Bremner has 25 strikeouts, which ranks him fifth among Northwest League pitchers in that category. But teammate Chase Shores isn’t far behind with 23 strikeouts for a No. 9 ranking.

Still, it’s Yeferson Vargas who leads the Tri-City pitching staff with a 3.13 earned run average and 23 innings pitched. And Keythal Key has a 3-0 record on the mound.

Offensively, Matt Coutney is among league leaders with a .306 batting average, while Randy De Jesus leads the team with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.

Infielder Capri Ortiz leads the league in stolen bases with 11.

Tri-City continues its homestand against Everett with games Thursday, Friday and Saturday (all with 6:30 p.m. starts), and a 1:30 p.m. Sunday contest.

Next week, the Dust Devils play a six-game series in Spokane with the Indians.

Prep baseball

Richland defeated Kamiakin 15-6 on April 28, earning the Bombers the Mid-Columbia Conference regular-season title.

Richland is 15-1 in MCC play (18-1 overall) with just two games remaining.

Meanwhile, both Kamiakin and Kennewick are 3 games back with just to play.

Here are the standings through games of April 28:

1. Richland (4A) 15-1 MCC, 18-1 overall

2. Kamiakin (4A) 12-4, 15-4

2. Kennewick (3A) 12-4, 14-5

4. Hanford (4A) 11-5, 12-6

5. Southridge (3A) 9-7, 12-7

6. Chiawana (4A) 8-8, 10-9

7. Hermiston (3A) 5-11, 7-11

7. Walla Walla (3A) 5-11, 6-12

9. Sageview (3A) 2-14, 3-15

10. Pasco (4A) 1-15, 4-15

District tournament play-in games for both the 4A and 3A tournaments are set for May 7.

District tourney play starts May 9.

For both the 4A and 3A district tourneys with the Greater Spokane League, there are each three state tournament berths at stake.

MCC baseball leaders

Batting average: 1, Trey McCauley, Walla Walla, .482; 2, Trey Holden, Southridge, .466; 3, Zach Vega, Kamiakin, .443.

Home runs: 1, Taron Carlson, Kamiakin, 6; 2, Trey Holdren, Southridge, 5.

RBIs: 1, Zach Vega, Kamiakin, 27; 2, Taron Carlson, Kamiakin, 23; 3, Dominic Driver, Kennewick, 21.

Stolen bases: 1, RJ Lopez, Pasco, 20.

Pitching strikeouts: 1, Michael Revell, Richland, 61; 2, Cashis Castillo, Chiawana, 57; 3, Zach Vega, Kamiakin, 56.

Pitching wins: 1, Braylon Edwards, Richland, 6; 1, Dylan Mamiya, Kennewick, 6.

Earned run average: 1, Dylan Mamiya, Kennewick, 0.61; 2, Michael Revell, Richland, 0.84; 3, Braylon Edwards, Richland, 0.93.

Prep softball

This week wraps up the Mid-Columbia Conference regular season. But Kamiakin has already clinched the MCC title. The Braves are unbeaten in MCC play, and they’ll enter the district tournament as the top seed.

Kamiakin has been outstanding, with Elizabeth O’Leary leading the way at pitcher. She has a 10-0 record, a 2.73 earned run average, and 119 strikeouts over 69.1 innings of work.

The district tournaments (4A and 3A) will begin on May 4 with play-in games, and then May 6 with first-round play. There are three state tournament berths available for both classifications.

Here is the updated MCC standings as of April 28:

Kamiakin (4A) 16-0 MCC, 17-2 overall

Richland (4A) 13-3, 16-3

Hanford (4A) 13-3, 15-3

Kennewick (3A) 10-6, 12-7

Hermiston (3A) 10-6, 11-7

Chiawana (4A) 7-8, 8-9

Southridge (3A) 6-10, 7-12

Walla Walla (3A) 4-12, 4-15

Sageview (3A) 0-15, 0-16

Pasco (4A) 0-16, 1-17

MCC notes: Richland sophomore Ali Evans may have MCC Player of the Year honors locked up. She’s hitting .790, with 7 homes runs and 56 RBIs — a likely candidate for a Triple Crown. But Evans can also pitch. The tall lefty has a 13-1 record, a 0.29 ERA, and 166 strikeouts over 73.2 innings. Teammate Emmalee Mohr is also an outstanding pitcher (she was named MCC Pitcher of the Year last season), and she can hit. Mohr, headed to Western Washington University in the fall, is batting .543, has 7 homers and 42 RBIs.

Who is the top hitter for Kamiakin? Jordynn Marquez with a .623 batting average, 8 home runs and 36 RBIs.

Kenzie Hofstad (.586-5 HR-45 RBIs) and Neve Jimenez (.613-38 RBIs) lead the Hanford Falcons’ offense, while Heidi Sweet (8-2 record, 2.51 ERA, 88 K’s in 58.2 innings) has been the team’s ace in the circle.

Kennewick and Hermiston are battling for the top MCC 3A berth to district. The Lions are led offensively by Rylee Bendewald (.500-24 RBIs) and Bailee Berry (4 homers); while Addie Logan is the team’s top pitcher, with a 6-4 record.

Kylie Virgil leads Hermiston at the plate, batting .434 with 4 home runs and 29 RBIs. Whitney MacKay leads the Bulldogs with a .494 batting average, while Jazlynn Ramirez has 4 homers.

Boys soccer

The MCC boys soccer regular season comes to an end this weekend, and our finishes on a strong note.

Richland visits Pasco at Edgar Brown Stadium at 7 p.m., Friday (May 1).

A victory by Richland (8-0) gives the Bombers the conference title outright. But a Pasco (7-1) victory would have title implications.

Now throw in Chiawana (7-1). A win by Chiawana over visiting Kennewick (also at 7 p.m., Friday) could actually force a three-way tie for the title.

In earlier games this season, Richland beat Chiawana 1-0, and Chiawana shut out Pasco 3-0.

Here are the MCC standings as of today:

1. Richland 8-1

2. Pasco 7-1

2. Chiawana 7-1

4. Walla Walla 4-4

4. Kennewick 4-4

4. Hermiston 4-4

7. Hanford 3-5

8. Southridge 1-7

8. Kamiakin 1-7

8. Sageview 1-7.

Golf

Lionel Kunka of Canyon Lakes won the Pacific Northwest PGA Seniors Players Championship on April 15 at Wine Valley Golf Course in Walla Walla.

Kunka fired rounds of 73 and 72 for a total of 145, 1 over par.

That was one stroke better than runnerup Chad Fribley of Persimmon Country Club of Gresham, Ore.

Kunka earned a $2,500 first-place check for the win.

Prep basketball

Richland seniors Landen Northrop and Lance Horntvedt — both of whom led the Bombers to an undefeated season and a 4A state championship — got one last chance to play together when they helped lead Team Washington over Team Oregon 112-105 in the annual Northwest Shootout.

The game was played April 12 at Portland Community College.

Northrop, who is still uncommitted to a college, was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player. He scored 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the floor (5-9 from the 3-point line). He also had 4 steals and led Washington’s 31-22 fourth-quarter run to put the game away.

Horntvedt added 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting, as well as 9 rebounds. Horntvedt is committed to Eastern Washington University.

• Prosser’s girls basketball program keeps sending players to college. Senior Deidra Phillips is signing with Whitman College.

And just this week, star forward Herbie Wright has announced her verbal commitment to Eastern Washington University. Wright will be a senior at Prosser next fall.

College basketball

One of the best available 3-point shooters available in college basketball’s transfer portal right now is Stetson guard Ethan Copeland.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because at one time Copeland was a starter his freshman through junior seasons at Sunnyside High School.

In his senior season, Copeland’s family moved to Utah, where he played his senior season at Lone Peak.

From there, Copeland played some junior college ball in Utah. He signed before last season with Stetson and he averaged 15.0 points a game for the Hatters, while shooting 43 percent from the free throw line.

Now Copeland has attracted interest from a number of schools, including Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, University of the Pacific, Virginia Commonwealth, and Marshall.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 11:23 AM.