State tennis: Walker runner-up in girls' singles

ALBUQUERQUE — From May 7-10, tennis players from Rio Rancho and Cleveland high schools competed in the 2025 NMAA State Tennis Championships at the Jerry Cline Tennis Center.

Representing the Rio Rancho Rams were junior Henry Hostetler, freshman Ella Jones, senior Emilee Miller and senior Aurora Espinoza. The Ram girls team also competed in the “team category.”

Representing the Cleveland Storm were freshman Lily Walker, senior Martin Mondragon, freshman Orlando Mondragon, junior Ethan Hendricks and senior Tyler Nunn. The Storm boys team also competed in the team category.

The story this year was freshman sensation Lily Walker, who advanced the farthest of anyone from the City of Vision. Walker, who entered as the No. 1 seed, bulldozed the competition and made a finals appearance against Organ Mountain’s Savannah Reiman.

“There is a ton of talent out here,” Walker said.

Unfortunately, Walker lost to Reiman and was the runner-up for the state crown. The young tennis star had a phenomenal season and will be a foundational for the Storm tennis team.

“They can expect me to keep playing, and hopefully I am going to get better and better,” Walker said of her future with the program.

The Rams also have a strong freshman of their own in Ella Jones, who defeated Hobbs’ Nivea Nash in the first round but then fell to Farmington’s Marley Desmond in round two.

“It’s been awesome; we’ve had a really good season. I am proud of the girls,” Jones said.

Like Walker, Jones will be around for years to come, and the community can expect some memorable matches from the two.

“People can expect good, quality work from me,” Jones said.

Another freshman making waves this year was Cleveland’s Orlando Mondragon, who joined forces with his brother Martin Mondragon in the doubles category.

The Mondragon brothers beat Hobbs in the first round, but it was Centennial that was victorious in two gritty sets.

Martin, a senior, has been a staple of the Cleveland tennis program since his freshman year and will pass on the torch to his brother, who looks to be destined for greatness in the tennis courts.

In round one, RRHS junior Henry Hostetler lost a close game to Hobbs’ Tommy Evans, who edged Hostetler 7-6 in the first set, and then 6-2 in the second set.

In the doubles, RRHS seniors Emilee Miller and Aurora Espinoza suffered a tough loss in the first round to Centennial while CHS’s Ethan Hendricks and Tyler Nunn lost in three sets to La Cueva.

In the team category, the Storm boys advanced past the first round but lost to Centennial in the second round (7-2) while the Ram girls lost to Santa Fe in the first round (6-3).