Queen of the Court

If you have ever been to a Varsity volleyball game or basketball game, you have probably seen that one player that  stands out the most on the Lakeland team, literally. 

That player is Katy Ryan, a senior at Lakeland High School. Ryan is arguably the most accomplished player at Lakeland, due to her incredible athletic ability and height, standing at a whopping 6 feet 5 inches. 

The Washington State commit has won many awards, such as the 4A Inland Empire League MVP, been selected to the Idaho All-Star Basketball game and also won a volleyball state championship her senior year. 

Katy Ryan has been involved in sports ever since she was a little kid. Her father, William Ryan, who is the boys’ basketball coach at Lakeland High School and also teaches Geometry, had Katy play many different sports as a kid, her first being basketball. 

As much personal awards Katy Ryan has received over her high school career, it’s the positivity and motivation she gives to her teammates and coaches that really define her character. 

Kelsie Badger, the 7 year Lakeland High School volleyball coach, who won the 4A Volleyball Coach of the Year award after her team won state, describes Katy Ryan as a coaches dream to be able to have a player that is super athletic and very humble, that is always a joy to be around. “All in team player, never solely about her, she is the type of player you wanna play with on the court.” 

Steve Seymour, the 26 year Lakeland High School Girls Basketball coach describes how easily it was for him to use Katy Ryan in schemes for the game, due to her height and athleticism. “She was tall enough and long enough to make it difficult for the other team to take a shot”. 

Coach Seymour expressed how good of a leader Katy Ryan is, how she would frequently help younger players out.

“She was the ultimate team player, she actually would pass more than she would shoot, knowing that for the team to succeed, other people would need to be involved.”

Katy Ryan’s four years at Lakeland High School will be remembered by every person who watched her play, every teammate she had, every teacher or staff member who experienced having Katy Ryan in the classroom. Her legacy at Lakeland High School will live on, and the soon to be made legacy at Washington State has only begun.