Southern Maryland Athletic Conference athletes descended upon Wilde Lake Tennis Club in Columbia on Saturday, May 25, eager to return home with the conference’s first state title in just over five years.
After valiant efforts with SMAC athletes represented in each of the four Maryland state classifications, SMAC earned three third place and two state finalist finishes for their efforts.
SMAC was best represented in the Class 2A brackets with medal winners in four of the five brackets.
Huntingtown senior Bella White and sophomore Lucy Staley added another accolade to their resumes with their second runner-up state finalists finish in the girls doubles bracket after a 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Michelle Fradlin and Joanna Blackman of Centennial.
“My high school tennis career was a fun journey,” White reflected. “Making it to the state finals as a freshman with my brother [Brody White] and partnering up with Lucy these past two years playing for a championship was special. This weekend was bittersweet and full of emotions as it was not only my last match, but also my dad’s [assistant coach Eric White] last match as a coach.”
La Plata’s Isabella Huntt took home second-place in the girls singles 2A bracket with a 6-2, 6-0 loss to Shivaani Selvan of Hammond and junior King Herald Nacua earned third place in the boys singles draw, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Josh Ma of Glenelg. The duo helped the Warriors as a team finish in second place in the Class 2A state tournament with 8 points.
“I am grateful to earn third place at the state tournament. I was nervous in the semifinal match, but learned from all my matches this season. Getting third place helped me realize my potential to become a state champion next year with proper preparation and training this offseason,” Nacua said.
Rounding out the strong showing for SMAC in the Class 2A tournament was McDonough’s team of Noah Cusack and Chris Jozwik earning the third place medal with a close 6-3, 6-4 win over Easton’s Clay Nagel and Kai Ferraris.
Also, Leonardtown senior Jacob Farren earned third place in the Class 4A boys singles bracket.
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