It was an impromptu celebration that surprised Wyoming High School Activities Association personnel but was met with an incredibly positive response by the crowd at the Ford Wyoming Center and across the state of Wyoming after the Class 2-A girls’ championship was played.
For only the second time in the history of the tournament, an all-female officiating crew took the floor in Kaila Haskvitz of Gillette, Katie Reeves of Big Horn, and Macey Mortimore from Riverton.
“We planned to put three female officials in the championship,” WHSAA commissioner Trevor Wilson said.
In 2017 Leanne Quayle, Jessica Fortner, and Annie Humphrey officiated the Class 2-A girls title game at the then Casper Events Center, but this time it was a little different.
“Once they began we noticed women coaches on both teams,” Wilson said. “The Tongue River coach, Amanda Cummins, said hey, this is cool. So, we celebrated it. All the credit goes to Amanda, she made it happen.”
Cummins and her assistant Eryn Edens took center stage next to Haskvitz, Reeves, and Mortimore with Lingle-Ft. Laramie coaches Susan Bartell and Kim Cooper on the opposite side. The Lady Eagles and Lady Doggers players filled in both sides of the arena to the free throw lines.
The three officials had previous state championship game experience working with male officials entering last Saturday afternoon’s final.
Reeves is a 2002 graduate of Big Horn High School. She pole vaulted at Montana State one season before earning a BA in Health Promotion. She works as an administrative assistant at Big Horn.
She started officiating in 2007 and has two boys and a girl 10, 9, and 8 years old.
“I enjoy being a part of the sport still, it’s one of my favorite things, Reeves aid. “It’s showing you can still stay active in a thing that you enjoy. Being a female, it shows it’s not just a man that can do this.”
Reeves was the senior official on the crew, having worked four state championship games previously. She did the Class 2-A game in 2023 and the 1-A title game before that.
Her first experience with an all-female crew came in 2011. “It was my fourth season, I worked with Lisa Mohatt and Bev Lightnum. We did the Natrona County game together,” Reeves said. “It was the first time I worked with an all-woman crew. We ended up in overtime and driving home for Lyman Flint’s birthday.” (Flint is a legendary Sheridan basketball official)
Haskvitz is in her fifth year of basketball officiating and also officiates volleyball and soccer.
She graduated from Wray, Colorado in 2007 and was recruited by Scott Walkinshaw at Black Hills State University where she ran the 400, 800, and 1600 meters in track and field and also competed in cross country.
She took off a year from officiating when her 15-month-old son Henry was born, but before that, she worked the Class 1-A girls’ championship game in 2022.
“I really like being able to travel and getting to work with friends I don’t get to see every day,” Haskvitz said. “It’s always a challenge. I enjoy that rather than just sitting, it gives me something to do.”
Haskvitz teaches math at Sage Valley Middle School in Gillette.
She has encouraged her students to become officials with some success.
“I gave one-hour lessons to 8th and 9th graders to ref lower level games,” Haskvitz said. “They were just boys I found in my math class. They umpire baseball in summer.”
Haskvitz has also officiated at the junior college level.
Mortimore started officiating before she graduated from Riverton High School
“I’ve been registered for 14 years,” Mortimore said. “I took one year off when I was pregnant with Wae.”
Her older daughter is Zya.
She began officiating local lower-level games when she was 16 and moved up from there.
Mortimore officiated a state championship game previously with two male officials.
She has worked the state tournament six times and done regional volleyball, also for six tournaments.
“There are lots of things I like about officiating. It’s a good way to stay connected with the athletes and sports in Wyoming, “Mortimore said. “I didn’t play sports in high school, but I enjoy it. If we’re not there they don’t get to play.”
Mortimore teaches upper-level and dual enrollment math classes at Shoshoni High School where she also teaches an officiating class.
“I like to help students and athletes understand the game better while I’m officiating,” Mortimore said. “It keeps me in shape and gives back to our kids.”
At the local level, she has been the assigner for the Fremont County Basketball Officials Association, serving most schools in Fremont County.
A 2012 Riverton graduate she has a BA from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, and two master’s degrees from Western Governors University in teaching and educational leadership.
“I think we worked really well together, I worked with Kaila on Thursday and with Katie on Friday,” Mortimore said.