Wildcats Win State Tennis Title

It gets easy to say: Once again the boys tennis team is the state champion.  Saturday in Madison, the Wildcats defeated Madison Edgewood, 5-2 to add another title to their record and make it six consecutive years that the Wildcats have won the WIAA Division 2 Team Tournament.

USM’s head coach Russ Trimble, who has now lead USM to three straight championships, described his emotions as he summed up the victorious day. “It was really great to win the Team State Tournament. It was very nerve wracking, though.”

USM secured the victory by winning all four of the singles matches in the championship round against Edgewood.

A week earlier USM’s Andrew Hwang had defeated his teammate Sam Walker to win the Individual State Tournament.  Playing for their team, both were winners. In the number 1 singles match Hwang swept through Austin Papenthien, 6-2, 6-3, and Walker easily handled Edgewood’s Patrick Carney in the number 2 singles match, 6-1, 6-1. Then their teammates finished off the Crusaders. First in 4 singles Tommy Camilleri struggled early but rallied to beat Hans Meixelsperger, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 in number 4 singles.  Rishi Karri then gave the Wildcats the victory they needed to win the tournament by whipping Zach Munns of Edgewood in two sets, 6-1, 6-1. 

The Wildcats also won the Number 1 doubles match. Brent Mackman and Ty Parks took care of Tyler Piddington and Ben Winding of Edgewood 6-3, 7-5. Edgewood won the other two doubles matches as Bruin Armwald and Scott Bauer defeated USM’s Topher McGee and Andrew Stewart, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in number 2 doubles and in number 3 doubles Patrick Barney and Patrick McKenna defeated Ethan Ardern and Adam Salaymeh of USM, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

Trimble commented on the victory, “The Edgewood match was also close like we thought it would be. The score was two all when Rishi went out for his match.  Tommy was down a set in his match, so Rishi felt some pressure to win. Sam and one doubles of Ty and Mack had finished with wins. Tommy ended up spliting and then winning his match, leaving Rishi to win the fourth for the win. Andrew played a much-improved Papinthein but in true form defeated him with his awesome play.

“When Andrew walked past me for his match he had this big grin on his face, and I asked him what was so funny. He chuckled and said he could tell I was really nervous. It was like, 'Don't worry, coach, I have  total confidence in us and my game, and we're not going to lose.' He was right. What a great group of guys!”

The Wildcats did not make to the championship round easily.  Earlier in the day they took on an undefeated Green Bay Notre Dame team that was looking for an upset in the semifinals.  The Tritons nearly pulled it off, but USM would not be denied.  The Wildcats won a close match, 4-3.

Trimble noted the difficulty, “The Green Bay Notre Dame match was close to the very end, but our experienced senior captains came through along with one doubles earlier. Our four singles and two and three doubles also gave it their best shot and fought hard.”

USM’s top three singles players were in top form in the semifinals.  Hwang, Walker, and Karri each won in two sets against their Notre Dame opponents. Hwang beat Scott Wall, 6-1, 7-5 in number 1 singles, Walker defeated Brian Zak, 6-1, 6-2 in number 2 singles play and Karri swept away Mark Cullen, 6-1, 6-1. Matt Frisk of Notre Dame worked hard to beat Camilleri, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5.

Mackman and Parks also won their doubles match in the semi-final. The number 1 USM doubles team handed Ryan Kropp and Andrew Zimmerman of Notre Dame a 6-2, 6-0 loss.  Notre Dame won the other two doubles matches. Decian Bowman and Connor Kosmoski defeated Topher McGee and Andrew Stewart, 6-3, 6-0 in number 2 doubles, and Nathaniel Calawerts and Nicholas Del Moral defeated Ardern and Salaymeh, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the number 3 doubles match.

Trimble was proud of his team and happy that Jim Laing, who coached the team to many successes in earlier days, was in attendance. Laing watched his former team win another state championship.

Trimble said, “USM attracts great tennis players.  Jim Laing built the program up, and we have kept up the winning tradition.”  The 2011 USM tennis team can now say it is part of that great tradition.