Former Durango star averaging nearly 18 points per game

Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball player and Durango native Mason Rowland looks to make a play against Central Washington on Nov. 3, 2023, during her freshman year. (Courtesy of CMU athletics)

A lot of players return from an ACL tear as a diminished version of their former self, but Durango’s Mason Rowland is not one of them.

The former Durango High School girls basketball star tore her ACL on Nov. 15, 2024, while playing for the Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team and missed the rest of her sophomore season after winning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023-2024.

Now a redshirt sophomore, unknowing bystanders would be hard-pressed to know she was coming off a torn ACL. Rowland is averaging 17.8 points per game, as of Friday evening, for a 13-1 Colorado Mesa squad that is dominating its opponents.

“We’ve had a great start to the year and are just looking to build off that coming out of Christmas break,” Rowland said. “We were a new group starting with so I think just trying to find the pieces and making sure everyone gelled with each other. But once we found that, we are going to be pretty tough to beat. So it’ll be exciting.”

Rowland averaged 14.6 PPG as a freshman and averaged 15.7 PPG in three games as a sophomore before getting hurt. It was a long recovery process for Rowland, as it is for all athletes who tear their ACL, and she returned to action in the summer.

The Mavericks tipped off the 2025-2026 season with the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic in British Columbia on Oct. 31. It’s a tournament Rowland enjoyed as a freshman, and it was a successful trip for the Mavericks with three wins. Rowland had a great experience getting on the court, getting through those games and realizing she can still play. Those first three games were building blocks for Rowland and the rest of the team.

Rowland said it took her about five games to not be hesitant to drive with her repaired ACL like she would in the past. Even with that hesitation, Rowland averaged 16.6 points per game in the first five games.

The Durangoan is the third-leading scorer in the RMAC with her 17.8 PPG. She’s continued to be an elite rebounding guard with 5.9 rebounds per game. Her name pops up in a lot of the RMAC individual statistical categories, including being fourth in the conference with 3.6 assists per game; she’s eighth in the RMAC with a 1.1 assist to turnover ratio; Rowland is ninth in the conference with a 43.1 field goal percentage and third in the conference with an 81.5 free-throw percentage.

“Since her injury last year, she’s been determined, and she did her rehab as best as she could and was in the gym all the time,” Colorado Mesa head coach Taylor Wagner said. “She’s one of those kids who has put her heart and soul into everything, and that’s what’s helped her bounce back a little bit quicker than maybe some of the other kids that we’ve had that have had ACL injuries.”

One area that Rowland has really improved in is her 3-point shooting. Known as an elite driver coming out of Durango High School, Rowland shot 33% from 3-point range as a freshman and 25% on limited attempts before her injury as a sophomore.

This season, Rowland is shooting 41% from 3-point range. She’s turned into one of the top 3-point shooters in the conference, ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage and third in 3-point field goals per game. Through 14 games, Rowland already has more 3-point attempts and makes than in her entire 32-game freshman year.

Rowland and Wagner both said the time Rowland had off due to injury helped her improve her shooting. It took a while for Rowland to compete against others, but she could work on her shooting a lot sooner. Wagner said the coaching staff didn’t do anything to her shot; the improvement has been because of the time she put in.

The improvement in Rowland’s game has certainly helped the Mavericks get off to such a great start. Since Colorado Mesa’s lone loss to West Texas A&M on Nov. 14, the Mavericks have had one close win, a 57-49 win, the next game on Nov. 16. Other than that, Colorado Mesa has won eight of its last nine games by at least 25 points. The Mavericks are 11th in the WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 women’s basketball coaches’ poll.

Besides Rowland, the Mavericks have arguably the best player in the conference in back-to-back RMAC Player of the Year, Olivia Reed Thyne. The senior forward is averaging 18.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG to create a dynamic duo for the Mavericks.

“Mason’s taken a lot of pressure off Olivia scoring-wise,” Wagner said. “Last year, Olivia seemed like she always had to be the girl the go-to girl. With Mason’s ability to get a bucket, that one-two punch has been really good this year. They’re starting to feed off each other a little bit better and playing off each other. So they’ve evolved.”

Durango fans won’t get to see Rowland and the Mavericks this season in Durango, as the Fort Lewis College vs. Colorado Mesa game will be in Grand Junction. However, after going 50-13 the last two seasons with two NCAA tournament appearances, the Mavericks will likely have plenty of big games remaining this season.

“The sky’s the limit for us right now,” Rowland said. “We are definitely a team that focuses on one game at a time, but we want to win the RMAC regular season championship, host the RMAC tournament, win the RMAC tournament, hosts regionals and win regionals all the way up to a national championship.”

bkelly@durangoherald.com

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FRANKLIN, Wis. (WTMJ) – A Wisconsin man is really passionate about hockey. He is so into the sport that he’s even built a massive ice rink in his own backyard.

The ice rink isn’t just for his sons. It’s for the team of 10-year-old players he coaches.

“It is just a fast-paced, high-energy game that I have always loved,” Jake Howell said.

Now, the Howells’ backyard is filled with strikes and screams, and the Shaw Timberwolves have a rink all to themselves.

“I don’t have to go to a rink to skate. I can just go to my backyard and mess around,” Emmett, Jake and Jamie Howell’s son, said.

Now, the coach and his wife, Jamie Howell, host the practices, and they have grown the rink year after year.

“This is the biggest it’s ever been and I don’t think it can get bigger unless we tear the deck down,” Jamie Howell joked.

The rink is 80 feet by 40 feet. While kids skate, parents stay warm by the fire and watch.

“Seeing their love and passion for the game is probably one of the best things I’d say in life, especially for my son,” Jake Howell said. “We have our own little microcosm of culture here, but we would love to see that grow in the community.”

For the coach and his team, the backyard rink does more than build memories. It’s something they depend on.

In their area in Franklin, the team only has access to one indoor rink and they often share that ice with two other teams.

“When it comes down to it, there just isn’t enough ice for the kids,” Jake Howell said.

The Southeastern Hockey Association of Wisconsin is raising funds for a new rink, according to Jake Howell.

“It takes a lot of money and desire from the community,” he added.

But for now, the personal rink is bringing the Timberwolves together.

“They are all my friends, and every time, they have my back,” Emmett said.

The rink also sparked a lifelong love for the game, from the backyard to beyond.

“That’s what I hope they get out of it, that passion, that fun, and then when they grow up, they think back to this and how much fun it was,” Jake Howell said.

Copyright 2026 WTMJ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

When the city of Kent leaders agreed to pay about $11 million toward the construction of a $36.6 million YMCA in town, they formed a partnership to help make sure the nonprofit became a community asset.

So far, that partnership seems to be thriving based on a recent update on the facility’s overall operations and its performance under the city’s 50-year operating memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

The Kent YMCA, 10828 SE 248th St., on the East Hill, opened in 2019. The nonprofit facility has 3,216 memberships and more than 7,500 individual members, according to a Dec. 9 report to the Kent City Council by Jenna Montoya, branch executive. Over half of those are family memberships. There are about 1,500 senior memberships, or active older adults, as the YMCA prefers to call them.

“There’s a lot of fun and exciting things happening at the Kent YMCA, especially in partnership with the Kent Parks Department,” Montoya said.

Council President Satwinder Kaur agreed.

“I absolutely love our Y and I love that it’s in the partnership we have with our Kent Parks and community swims,” Kaur said. “I do take my kids there for the little pool. I’m a member, but still I see families there taking advantage of that.”

People can join the YMCA under a household membership (two or more at same household) for $154 per month or an individual membership for $91 per month. The facility offers a gym, pools, fitness facilities, classes and programs.

In addition, the YMCA will pay up to $1 million per year to provide financial aid to families who cannot afford the full membership fee. Montoya said the YMCA was expected to pay about $730,000 towards memberships and programs by the end of 2025.

“And we’ve expanded our financial assistance programs this year compared to years past where we increased the award based off of income,” Montoya said. “We also expanded the awards to additional income brackets. So we expect to see that number increase with those changes.”

Kent has added more programs, too.

“We have also grown in our offerings and enrollments for all of our programming,” Montoya said. “In addition, we had some new youth sports additions this year (2025). We’ve added ballet and expanded soccer programs, added volleyball, doubled our youth basketball league programming, which is the biggest participation base that we have. So, we’re excited to see that grow in 2026.”

While the city of Kent contributed $11 million toward construction of the two-story, 50,000-square-foot facility, the YMCA covered most of the rest of the costs through state grants, major donors and community contributors.

The city kicks in about $95,000 annually to help fund operations, mainly for the aquatics program, City Parks Director Julie Parascondola told the council.

City leaders for decades sought to build a community pool, but abandoned that idea because of the high costs. That led to the search for a partner to help build the pool, which is how the agreement came about with the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

With the renovations to Morrill Meadows Park, which sits next to the YMCA, that has given the city and nonprofit even more opportunities to partner.

“It’s been great to kind of see that flourish, to see all of the new neighbors and families join together,” Montoya said. “We have lots of special programming and events. We work closely with the parks team to ensure that that space is safe and enriching for everyone. We support steady use of the bathrooms in our buildings for those using the dog park and the parking lot and the parks outside and just protecting those spaces including the parking for those attendees.”

The park/YMCA events included the change of venue last summer for the city’s Spotlight Series Thursday evening concerts from Lake Meridian Park to Morrill Meadows Park.

“It was a huge success,” Montoya said. “There was hundreds, if not thousands of attendees to that event and we hosted the performers and bands inside the building. That was very exciting for our staff. We felt like we were meeting local celebrities. So, that was a great opportunity this year. We hope to continue that and we made a lot of new great relationships and partnerships with the city of Kent team through that.”

As far as aquatics programming, the YMCA added a third day per week for free community swim days, which was two days per week. The facility also serves as the practice pool for the high school swim teams from Kent-Meridian and Kentwood. The city used to operate a pool at Kent-Meridian, but closed the aging facility with the opening of the YMCA.

The YMCA also offers social impact programs, and has doubled its participants in programs like behavioral health and foster care support, Montoya said.

The Kent facility, with other community partners, offers a food pantry called Pantry of Hope that operates every Friday from about 1 to 4 p.m. to provide kind of a stigma-free food access point for community members, Montoya said.

“We see lots of people come in on a regular basis when we have this every Friday on a first-come first-served basis with nonperishables and fresh produce for families,” Montoya said. “We’ve had at least 20 families a week who have been partaking in the food pantry and we expect to expand this and shift this depending on community need and desires as we move forward.”

The YMCA opens its facility as a warming or cooling center during extreme temperatures.

• For more information about programs and financial assistance, go to seattleymca.org/locations/kent-ymca.

People enjoy the pool at the Kent YMCA, 10828 SE 248th St., on the East Hill. COURTESY PHOTO, YMCA

The Kent YMCA has fitness areas, pools and a gym. COURTESY PHOTO, YMCA

Nearly 100 youngsters hit the rank-soaked Kallem-Kemp Field at Burbank High Friday as they are participating in the Real Madrid Foundation Winter Soccer Camp. The program is run in collaboration with the city of Burbank Parks and Recreation Department.

It runs through Monday.

The most successful professional soccer club in the world, Real Madrid has won 36 Spanish League titles and 15 European titles.

FInding talent around the world is something the club is always looking for. After spending several years conducting the camp at the Glendale Sports Complex, it has moved to Burbank.

“The community in Glendale and Burbank is great,” Camp Supervisor Jaypo Lamounier said, “They support us a lot.”

Lamournier said a number of past campers who have been deemed elite have moved to Spain, where they train within the Real Madrid youth academy and attend school.

Lamournier said the camp is open to players of all skill levels. Most of the coaches in the camp live and work in Spain.

“The kids get to enjoy some different styles than they usually practice,” he said. 

It’s time to dust off the annual ’49 football trophy’ that will once again be hoisted in the air on Thanksgiving Day.

The long-standing, 90-year high school holiday rivalry between Joseph Case and Somerset Berkley is officially back on this coming November. The last time the two schools met was in 2022 when the Raiders defeated the Cardinals, 50-14.

Returning this month, the Soldier Hollow Kickers and Gliders program aims to introduce more youth across the Wasatch Back to cross-country skiing, with renewed efforts focused on reaching families in the local Latino population.

The beginner-focused program is designed for children ages 6 to 11 runs from Jan. 6 through Feb. 26, with sessions held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Soldier Hollow’s Sports Discovery Center, located at 2002 South Olympic Drive in Midway.

“Kids will learn the basics of skiing through purposeful play, games and drills. All participants get free hot chocolate to warm back up after each practice,” said Gerrit Garberich, senior sports manager and head comp BIA Coach.

Last winter, Garberich and Luke Bodensteiner, Soldier Hollow’s general manager and chief of sport development for the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, began a discounted registration initiative aimed at increasing participation among Latino families.

That initiative set aside 20 spots for Latino participants at a discounted rate of $25 supported by the Wasatch Community Foundation and the Wasatch Latino Coalition. Additionally the program offers needs-based scholarships to all families.

Program leaders have pointed to longstanding underrepresentation of Latino families in local skiing programs as a key reason for expanding outreach and reducing barriers.

“Last year we had 95 kids participate in our program but only four took advantage of the $25 registration for the Latino community,” said Garberich.

Organizers recognized that challenges such as transportation and communication have limited participation in the past and said they are working to improve outreach and access for Latino families this season.

Transportation was not offered last year due to a lack of available bus drivers — a limitation organizers said may have affected participation. This winter, the program has secured two bus drivers in hopes of increasing access and enrollment.

Free transportation will be available for registered participants, with a program bus picking up children at 3:40 p.m. from the southeast portion of the Wasatch Recreation Center parking lot and returning them to the same location at approximately 5:45 p.m.

The goal is to reduce common barriers, organizers said — which include cost, equipment and transportation — that can prevent families from accessing winter sports.

The program provides all ski equipment, including skis, boots and poles. Families are asked to send children dressed for winter conditions, including windproof or snow pants, base layers, a warm jacket, hat, gloves, neck gaiter, warm socks and a water bottle.

Registration is now open, with separate links available in English and Spanish. Families seeking Spanish-language registration and access to the reduced $25 rate for Latino participants are encouraged to use the Spanish registration link, while general registration is available through the English link.

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