Connor Sechrist signs with Montreat College

Mount Airy’s Connor Sechrist signed his National Letter of Intent and will continue his tennis career at Montreat College.

“It means the world to me to sign, and I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to play at the collegiate level,” Sechrist said. “I most look forward to growing and improving my tennis game with new experiences and new competition.

“I want to thank my mom and my dad for going through everything to help me reach this point and playing a big role. I want to thank Luke Graham for making me the player I am, and I want to thank my savior Jesus Christ.”

On choosing Montreat, Sechrist said: “It was really a last second decision funny enough. I was still looking at other schools, and then I got an email one day from Montreat who was looking for players. I researched the school and felt this was a place that would challenge me and was also a school that aligned with my values. I took a tour, hit with the coaches, fell in love and was all in.”

Playing collegiate tennis wasn’t a lifelong dream for Sechrist. In fact, he said it never really felt like a possibility until his senior year.

“This year I competed with college level tennis players,” Sechrist said. “I learned about different opportunities where playing at the college level was possible. With some research, I realized I was capable of competing at a higher level. I have a passion for the game and still have skills I want to develop.”

Sechrist didn’t start playing tennis until his eighth-grade year, but even then, the season was cut short after a few weeks due to COVID. He came into high school with very little experience, but over his four years with the program became a collegiate-level player that was critical to the program’s overall success.

“It’s a testament to his work ethic and proof that hard work truly can pay off if you’re willing to not only work hard in practice, but in the offseason as well,” said Mount Airy coach Luke Graham. “He wasn’t very skilled as a freshman, but you could see immediately how hard he was willing to work. Despite the fact that he spent the majority of his first year toward the bottom of the lineup, he earned his teammates’ respect and mine with his effort every day at practice.”

As a freshman, the only non-exhibition match in which Sechrist competed was a No. 3 doubles bout against East Surry that he won 8-2.

Less than a year later he moved into the starting singles lineup at the No. 4 spot and finished with an 11-7 record. Mount Airy finished 15-5 as a team, won the Northwest 1A Conference Championship and reached the 1A West Regional Semifinals in 2022.

Sechrist remained a singles specialist as a junior, this time finishing the year 18-3 individually. Mount Airy improved to 19-3 as a team and finished 1A West Regional Runner-up; all three of the Bears’ team losses came against eventual 1A State Champion Elkin.

Sechrist developed into a solid player by the end of his junior season, but the “significant leap,” he made between his junior and senior seasons is what Graham said made Sechrist a college prospect.

“He got in better shape, got stronger, and tried to play as many matches as he could — both with teammates and in tournaments,” Graham said. “He was constantly hitting baskets of serves by himself both before and after practice. In a single season he improved his first serve from very average to a weapon.

“There was definitely improvement in his game during his sophomore and junior years, but without question he made the most significant leap forward this past season. It was so impressive to watch him not only compete with but hold his own against the significant jump in the level of competition he faced.”

The work he put in during the offseason was not only crucial for Sechrist as a college prospect, but for Mount Airy’s team success as well. The Bears entered the 2024 season having lost four of their top eight seeds from the previous year’s regional runner-up squad.

As a junior, Sechrist played No. 6 singles in 11 matches, No. 5 singles in nine matches, and No. 4 singles in one match. As a senior, Sechrist played No. 2 singles in all 20 matches and finished with a 15-5 record.

“I think coming into the season as the lone senior, Connor made a conscious decision to try and make this season as much of a success as he could for himself, his teammates and for me,” Graham said. “He worked extremely hard not just on his own game, but to push the guys around him to work. His passion for tennis has been so inspirational and refreshing to be involved with.

“His progression and accomplishments this season were an enormous part of what we were able to do as a team, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what he gave all of us.”

Sechrist’s most significant area of improvement was his doubles play. Entering his senior season, Sechrist only competed in a combined seven ranked doubles matches the past three years.

Doubles went from one of Sechrist’s biggest restrictions to one of his biggest strengths. He and partner Kannon Strickland played every No. 1 doubles match for the Bears and finished the regular season with a 15-4 record. Sechrist/Strickland went on to finish Northwest 1A Conference Doubles Tournament Runners-up, took third place in the 1A West Regional Tournament, then reached the semifinals of the 1A Doubles State Tournament.

Sechrist finished his senior season 22-7 in doubles and 37-12 overall. Mount Airy finished 14-6 as a team and reached the 1A West Regional Semifinals.

“His progression from the No. 9 seed as a freshman to being the No. 2 seed and earning all-state honors as a senior has been so inspiring and rewarding to watch,” Graham said. “He’s really been a leader by example for his teammates, particularly this season by showing them how to put the work in and grind toward your goals. I like to believe they have appreciated the example he set this year and hopefully inspires some of them to work harder.

“I’m excited to see what his ceiling as a player looks like. He’s improved so much the past few years, and I think there’s still a lot of potential yet to be unlocked.”

On his time with the Granite Bears tennis program, Sechrist said: “I loved my four years at Mount Airy and wouldn’t change a thing. I enjoyed my teammates and most importantly having a great coach like Coach Graham who helped me thrive and get better from day one. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today without his help.

“It just felt really good to be a part of a great tennis program.”